 |
| Cantona Temple Looking South |
|---|
Cantona: A spectacular newly excavated archaeological site believed to be the largest urban center yet discovered in Mesoamerica. Cantona covers 12 squares kilometers that are divided into three urban areas. The ruins includes a roadway network of over 500 cobblestone causeways, over 3,000 individual patios, or residences, 24 ball courts and an elaborate acropolis with many ceremonial buildings and temples. These remarcable buildings were assembled by carved stones being placed one atop the other without any stucco covering or cement mortar being used in their construction. The Cantona archeological site, is located about 90 km West of Jalapa, but within the state of Puebla, about 4.5 km north of the small town of Tepeyahualco. It lies in an old lava bed which is surrounded by yucca and pine trees. Cantona is considered to be one of the largest and most urbanized cities in pre Hispanic Mexico. You can not possibly tour the entire town. First it is not excavated. Second, it is huge. If you have any doubts, look around the excavated area on the Google Map. Look how many square or rectangular structures there are on the map. Then look to see if you can see paths around them. Our GPS marks the entrance to the Visitor Center at about; 19o 32' 57.50" N 97o 29' 53.80" W. Cantona existed from about A.D. 600 to 1000. It had a population of about 80, 000 inhabitants at its peak of power. It depended upon commerce and trade. There were some agricultural efforts also taking place. It also seems to have been built with a definite urban plan and walled walkways connecting each and every part of the city. The main roadway called "First Avenue" is 563 meters in length. Cantona was a contemporary civilization to Teotihuacan. It looks today much as it did 1,000 years ago. This rugged outpost is surrounded by dry, arid land dotted with old haciendas. It was abandoned 300 years before Cortes. It was occupied by the Toltecs. It takes over three hours in a car to travel the short distance from Puebla to Cantona. A lot of the time is spent driving the last few kilometers on a raised gravel road that is awful. We caught on to the fact that the local people do not use the road that the government built. They use dirt side roads and drive in a lot less time with little wear and tear to their cars. We drove back that way and recommend the dirt side roads. We visited this site on January 17, 2004. During that time the wind blowing over the site was very strong and it stirred up a lot of dirt and sand. We actually wore face masks to filter out the dust during most of the tour of the site. Goggles would have been nice to have to keep the dust out of our eyes. The museum and restrooms are clean.
|
To visit this area we would suggest flying into either Mexico City or Puebla and then staying at a hotel of your choice. We would probably choose to stay at Puebla. We have links on this page that will connect you with several of the best hotels in both Mexico City & Puebla. We suggest getting a hotel and then letting them arrange either a car or a tour of Mexico City or Puebla. If you call their Concierge Services ahead of your arrival, all of this can be pre-arranged for you. The very best taxi driver and guide we have found in Mexico City is Javier Hernandez Rivera. His family also attends the Basilica de Guadalupe and he can be contacted through the Holiday Inn Concierge Services at the Holiday Inn Oriente (East) or (airport). Hotel Front Desk Phone: 52-55-56400460. We have made a web page for Javier at: http://www.delange.org/Javier/Javier.htm We do this all the time, when traveling in Mexico. It is safe and it works!!! We have never experienced a problem, doing it this way! The Mexico City International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional de la Ciudad de México or AICM), also called Benito Juárez International Airport (IATA: MEX, ICAO: MMMX) is the commercial airport that serves Mexico City, the capital of Mexico. It is Mexico's and Latin America's busiest. The Hermanos Serdán International Airport (IATA: PBC, ICAO: MMPB) is the international airport located near Puebla, Puebla, Mexico. It handles national air traffic for the city of Puebla. It also serves as an alternate airport for Mexico City, being part of the metropolitan airport group for the Mexican capital, comprising the airports of Mexico City, Toluca, Cuernavaca and Querétaro. Therefore, we have placed links to Expedia.com on this page so you can arrange your flights into and out of Mexico City or Puebla; as well as your hotel, when visiting this area.
|
 |  |
| Patio Number Two | Patio Number Two |
|---|---|
 |  |
| Pines & Yuccas Grow Everywhere | Along "First Avenue" |
 |  |
| Patio Thirteen | Patio Thirteen |
 |  |
| Patio Thirteen | Patio Thirteen |
 |  |
| Sunken Patio, Of Patio Thirteen | Another View Of Patio Thirteen |
 |  |
| Patio East Of Avenue Two | Patio West Of Avenue Two |
 |  |
| Cluster Twelve | 5771 Square Meters In Size |
 |  |
| Cluster Twelve | Cluster Twelve |
 |  |
| Ball Court And Temple | Ball Court And Temple |
 |  |
| From The Position Of The Setting Sun In This Picture On 1-17-2004 "First Avenue" Could Have Been Aligned With Setting Winter Solstice | Audrey Is Demonstrating The Possible Alignment |
 |  |
| Part Of Old Hacienda | Close Up Of Hacienda |
|
|
|---|
| Back To Mexico Trips Main Page
|
| Back To DeLange Home Page |