Teotenango

Teotenango ( Náhuatl: true, divine place of the fortress wall ) is a Mesoamerican archaeological site in the Mexican state of México about 22 kilometers south of the state capital of Toluca and directly on the western edge of the city Tenango de Arista, formerly Tenango del Valle. The inhabitants were before the Spanish conquest belonging to the Otomí Matlatzinca.

Location

The site is situated on a high and broad lava field of a small volcano, about 100 meters above the surrounding plain and the modern city. After the Spanish conquest in the early 16th century, it was the official policy of church and state, to resettle people from hard to reach areas conveniently located and controlled. This also happened in this case, where the name was transferred as usual, to the new settlement. The ancient settlement was called to distinguish " the real Tenango ". The site of the ancient settlement was agricultural land, sticking out of the difficult to recognize individual truncated pyramids and terrace walls.

Excavation

In the 1970s, the Mexican archaeologist Román Piña Chan has undertaken with funds from the State of a large-scale excavations aimed primarily to reconstruct the ceremonial section of the ancient settlement of tourist interests was evident during the housing estate was not explored in the south. The reconstruction method was pushing ahead shallow cuts towards limited search of modern stone walls exterior steps. Once these search cuts to the most frequently encountered only one or two rows of stone stairs or embankment walls, they were bricked up so far until embankment walls and staircases met. Further evidence was usually not available. Therefore, the reconstruction give a very sterile impression of stairs and slopes. A more comprehensive publication of the excavation and reconstruction of missing to this day.

Buildings

The zone is entered through a newly created during the excavations and approved for pedestrians only street that ends at the foot of the huge, exposed only at this point and reconstructed two-stage support and defensive walls. About a brick staircase leads to the area of ​​the old city. The excavation area was divided into five areas that have been designated by the letters A to E.

Conjunto A

Above the access stairs is the large, irregularly shaped Plaza, at the eastern end there is a pyramid with three levels in " tablero - talud " style. The staircase with stair stringers on the west side leads to a shoulder on which a smaller building of two stages is, this time with far narrower staircase. The back of the pyramid seems originally to have been downgraded. Above the pyramid is still a long low base, which has probably worn as the other buildings of this type of perishable material.

Conjunto B

This area is located south of the above at a slightly higher level, and in turn is accessed by a staircase. It is formed mainly by a plaza that is bordered by pyramids on the east and south sides. These pyramids have three levels, above which is a non- reconstructable component, probably of two stages. From the southern pyramid also only the front was reconstructed. Also on this level are the low base for non- surviving building to find.

Conjunto D

This complex forms the north-western part of the excavated area and is characterized by a large wall block of 120 meters in length.

Conjunto e

The ball court is the center of this area. Layout and design of the ball-court match the pattern in the central Mexico with a very slightly inclined lateral surfaces and low reflective walls. Further west lies a complex with the low walls of a residential area, which is among the oldest of the settlement.

At the east end of the ball court is a Temazcal, are obtained from the only low wall remnants.

Monuments

Teotenango has a small number of sculptures. In most cases, it is sculpture on solid rock. Most famous is the relief of a jaguar eats something like a heart. To the left of the jaguar is the date of the Year 2 rabbits, to the right in a different style of writing the (daily - ) Date 9 house. At the northwestern end of the wall blocks from Conjunto D is also worked out of the upcoming rock, the sculpture of a serpent. A little further west is the " Calle de la Randa ", a natural ravine, in which is located the eponymous sculpture of a frog. In the local museum a unique stele with calendrical glyphs can be seen.