Zazacatla is a
pre-Columbian
In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization, which began with Christopher Columbus's voyage of 1492. Usually, ...
archaeological site
An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology a ...
of
Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area in southern North America and most of Central America. It extends from approximately central Mexico through Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and northern Costa Rica ...
's central Mexican plateau region, in
Xochitepec
Xochitepec is a ''municipio'' (municipality) of the state of Morelos, in central Mexico. Xochitepec is also the name of its principal township and seat of the municipal government. It is located approximately 13 km (8.1 mi) to the south ...
, dating to the mid-Formative period of
Mesoamerican chronology
Mesoamerican chronology divides the history of prehispanic Mesoamerica into several periods: the Paleo-Indian (first human habitation until 3500 BCE); the Archaic (before 2600 BCE), the Preclassic or Formative (2500 BCE –&nb ...
. The site was first excavated in 2006 underneath a modern commercial and housing development site, some 13 km (8.1 mi) south of
Cuernavaca
Cuernavaca (; nci-IPA, Cuauhnāhuac, kʷawˈnaːwak "near the woods", ) is the capital and largest city of the state of Morelos in Mexico. The city is located around a 90-minute drive south of Mexico City using the Federal Highway 95D.
The na ...
, capital of the
Mexican state of
Morelos, and 40 km (25 mi) south of
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...
. Initial investigations by archaeologists from Mexico's
National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) reported finding evidence of
Olmec
The Olmecs () were the earliest known major Mesoamerican civilization. Following a progressive development in Soconusco, they occupied the tropical lowlands of the modern-day Mexican states of Veracruz and Tabasco. It has been speculated that ...
cultural influences at the site, the first such known for the western Morelos region.
Site description
A fraction of Zazacatla's ceremonial center has been investigated, amounting to some 9,000 m² (approx. 2.2
acres) of excavations. The total area of the site is estimated to occupy some 2.5 km², or slightly less than one square mile.
Zazacatla's occupation is dated to between 800—500
BCE
Common Era (CE) and Before the Common Era (BCE) are year notations for the Gregorian calendar (and its predecessor, the Julian calendar), the world's most widely used calendar era. Common Era and Before the Common Era are alternatives to the or ...
, making it roughly contemporary with the
Olmec
The Olmecs () were the earliest known major Mesoamerican civilization. Following a progressive development in Soconusco, they occupied the tropical lowlands of the modern-day Mexican states of Veracruz and Tabasco. It has been speculated that ...
center of
La Venta
La Venta is a pre-Columbian archaeological site of the Olmec civilization located in the present-day Mexican state of Tabasco. Some of the artifacts have been moved to the museum "Parque - Museo de La Venta", which is in nearby Villahermosa, t ...
, 400 km (250 mi) to the east. Several sculptures of what appear to be Olmec-style "priests" have been uncovered. These sculptures, as well as Olmec-style architecture, have led to speculation on the role that Olmec culture played in Zazacatla.
Archaeologist Giselle Canto told Associate Press that the inhabitants adopted Olmec styles when they changed from a simpler egalitarian society to a more complex hierarchical one:
In January 2007 the
governor of Morelos
The governor of Morelos, which was created with the state of Mexico in 1869. (Morelos was a Federal Territory from June 17, 1914, to February 5, 1917.)
See also
* List of Mexican state governors
* List of people from Morelos, Mexico
* List of ...
,
Marco Adame Castillo, announced an offer for the state to underwrite the preservation of the site and to incorporate it into the tourism and cultural heritage plans for Morelos. He foreshadowed that a tourism project would be initiated at the site's location once the archaeological investigations had further developed.
[García (2007).]
Notes
See also
*
Olmec influences on Mesoamerican cultures
The causes and degree of Olmec influences on Mesoamerican cultures has been a subject of debate over many decades. Although the Olmecs are considered to be perhaps the earliest Mesoamerican civilization, there are questions concerning how and how ...
*
Tlatilco
*
Tlapacoya
References
*
*
*
*
* Also available as Gale General OneFile document number A158381284.
*
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External links
Olmec-Style Effigies from Zazacatla photographs by Jorge Pérez de Lara, reproduced at Mesoweb
Photo of the Olmec-style sculpturesnote the downturned mouths.
Archaeological sites in Morelos
Mesoamerican sites
Olmec sites
Former populated places in Mexico