Huatusco (archaeological site)

Huatusco (also called Huatusco Viejo) is a pre-Columbian archaeological site in the Mexican state of Veracruz. Originally, the site belonged probably to the culture of the Totonac; In her later years, it was conquered by the Aztecs and redesigned architecturally.

Location

The ruins of Huatusco (also called Huatusco Viejo) is close to the small, almost deserted village in the municipality of Santiago Huatusco Carrillo Puerto on the north bank of the river Atoyac in the grounds of the Rancho El Fortin. The significance of the site is in a relatively well-preserved - but unrestored - Pyramid temple from the time of the Aztec Empire, on which also the biggest part of the actual building of the temple is still standing upright. The archaeological site should not be confused with the some 60 km north-west provincial town Huatusco de Chicuellar.

History

The place was called today Santiago Huatusco under the name Cuauhtochco in Aztec time capital of Aztec- speaking province where there was a garrison of the Aztec Triple Alliance. In the wake of the conquest by the Spanish conquistadors these garrisons were captured in November 1521 after the fall of Tenochtitlan by Gonzalo de Sandoval. After a short time under the encomendero Francisco de Bonal, the town was transferred to 1535 in the possession of the Spanish crown. Especially by severe epidemics in the mid- 16th century, the previously dense population was almost wiped out the entire coastal region. With the founding of the city of Córdoba in 1618, the political and ecclesiastical institutions of Santiago Huatusco were relocated there. The name Huatusco went over to the farther west San Antonio Huatusco. Santiago Huatusco currently has around 150 inhabitants.

Probably because - because of the rapid depopulation - the area was during the colonial period of little interest, could go unnoticed and therefore not destroyed here a small number of religious buildings of the pre-Hispanic period. During the post- classical pyramid of Castillo de Teayo is well known and has often visited them, has hardly been taken from Huatusco note.

Buildings

Overall plant

The still unrestored ruins of Huatusco lie on a south -flung outcrop more than 100 m above the bed of the river Atoyac on its northern shore. Access from the south on a spur of the spur is blocked by a well-preserved fortification wall with at least two trains of round, raw river stones. The surface of the promontory is divided by a depression in two parts. In the northern, larger, there are several heavily damaged buildings and large terraces.

Pyramid

All buildings are dominated by the central pyramid, a four -stepped structure on a low platform, which is oriented to the west. In this structure, it is undoubtedly the best preserved temple of the late Postklassikums in western Mesoamerica. A wide, accompanied by stringers and slightly projecting beyond the actual pyramid body out staircase leads without heel to the top platform of the pyramid. The number of steps seems to have been about 52.

Temple

It is striking, especially the remarkably large, moderately preserved temple building whose exterior walls are preserved in the full height of 7-8 m, while the wall is completely absent with the lying to the west wide input in its upper half, probably because they carrying wooden door beams are missing. The facade of the exterior walls is divided three times horizontally: Up to a height of about 2.30 m, the walls are vertical; then, on a small projecting cornice soft walls slightly inward. About another little protruding cornice follows a rectangular, almost the entire upper third of the wall endearing be countersunk field, are in the stone pins, which form a so-called " starry sky Fries ", recessed.

Similar to Teayo the interior was divided into floors. In Huatusco three ceiling levels can be recognized. The lowest level in about 2.50 m in height was formed by a blanket of east-west running, engliegenden wooden beams, which were in all walls in a stone groove. In the middle of the narrow sides of the room they were placed on a wooden beam, which was deeply embedded in the side walls, but also on rested from the side walls projecting brick pillars. Because of the length of the room must be assumed that the beam was supported at least twice by wooden or brick piers. The second level was also formed by parallel down to the narrow side of the room, but at intervals of about 1 m wooden beams, which were embedded in the longitudinal wall. Residues of these bars are not yet received numerous in the wall openings. Again, there was a cross bar that ran from the middle of the northern to south-eastern narrow side. The third level again consisted of a construction probably closely wooden beams. Sign of the cross bars are not available (anymore). Also on this level, which probably contributed to the flat roof made ​​of stucco, the side walls put something on to give lateral support to the roof structure. The spaces above the first and second intermediate plate had a significantly lower level than the bottom. Whether and for what purpose they were used, or whether they served only the achievement of important for the visual impression of height, is uncertain.