Coatetelco

Coatetelco is a small ruin site especially from the Postclassic in the southwestern part of the Mexican state of Morelos, about 25 km as the crow south-southwest of the state capital of Cuernavaca near the large archaeological site of Xochicalco. The few excavated prehispanic buildings are located in the modern city Coatetelco (the name is Nahuatl and is of CoA -tl, Snake, and Tetel -li, Montikel of stone, formed with the locative suffix -co ).

The buildings of Coatetelco are arranged around a rectangular square. Its western side occupies the outside of the ball court. The ball court has the usual manner of construction of the Postclassic central Mexico: a low slant, plastered with stucco reflective surface on both sides, about a narrow flat surface and the vertical end wall, which is not received in full. The two ends of the ball court are designed as wider areas in the northern part, a narrow staircase leads to the slightly deeper pitch. To the sides of the ball court forming platforms leads from the west side up a double staircase, while on the side facing the courtyard a series of rectangular and a round base platform are upstream. Here also several graves were found. In the southernmost platform Räucherlöffel ( tlemāitl ) were as offerings or remains of sacrifices. Adjacent was a tzompantli, a design for the exhibition of skulls of killed.

On the southern side of the square of the badly damaged remains of a pyramid lies with the typical for Central Mexico double staircase. Presumably were on the top of the pyramid two temples, dedicated as in Tenochtitlan and Teopanzolco different gods. On the east side of the square is the largest pyramid was a single staircase with wide stair stringers. In this pyramid is a stone female figure was found.