Teopanzolco Archaeological Ruins
Northern Cuernavaca, Morales, Mexico
Travel Pictures And Photos

George And Audrey DeLange

Teopanzolco Archaeological Ruins Building One Located In North Cuernavaca Mexico

Teopanzolco Archaeological Ruins: Teopanzolco (te-o-ahn-ZOL-ko). Located in the Northern section of the town of Cuernavaca in the state of Morales, Mexico. Teopanzolco is a Nahuatl word which means "The place of the old Temple". The original inhabitants of the area were the Tlahuicas, a sub group of the Nahuatl culture. Teopanzolco 1s located on top of a hill that was formed by lava that came from the large volcanic explosion that closed the southern part of the Mexican valley. Early groups settled in the Valley Of Morelos in about 2,000 B.C. During the Classic period (0 to 900 AD) there was a regional development in which the Teotihuacan culture played an important role. The Early Post Classic Era (900 to 1200 AD) was characterized by the presence of a culture which was unique to the regions of Mesoamerica. In the late Post Classic era the dominant groups in the region were of Nahuatl origin, the Tlahuicas founded the Lordship Of Cuauhnahuac, which developed a unique and authentic culture, although similar to that of the neighboring groups, such as the Matlatzincas of the valley of Toluca who were conquered by the Mexicas. There is a large rectangular plaza in front of Building Number One. To the south of Building Number One is located Building Number Two, to the north of Building Number One, is Building Number Twelve and in the back of Building Number One, on the east side of the site, are Buildings Thirteen and Fourteen. Near the west fence of the site are Buildings Three through Nine, and in the northern part of the site there are no ancient buildings. Building Number One was the main building. It has a great pyramidal base in a rectangular shape, and it has two stages of construction which overlap each other. Both are practically the same in design. The main facade of Building Number One faces the west side. In it one can find the double stairway, both with wooden beams which are almost vertical. The one in the center is wider than those on each end. Each one provides access to its corresponding temple. This style of base with double stairs and twin temples in the superior part is of Mexica origin, and can be found in other Mexica sites such as Tenayuca. Buildings Two, Three Four, Five, and Six are located on the SW corner and South section of the Plaza in front of Building Number One. Building Number Two is a flat low platform of irregular design. On its north facade is a large staircase with wooden beams. Buildings Three and Five are square bases with staircases and wooden beams on their east sides. Between Buildings Three and Five is a rectangular Building Number Four which is also flat with a stone stairway without wooden beams. A large collection of human bones were found in Building Number Four along with many obsidian blades which were probably used as weapons for human sacrifice. It is worth mentioning that the cultural materials which were recovered in Teopanzolco reveal the coexistence of two groups: the Tlahuicas, original inhabitants of the site, and the Mexicas, conquerors of the site. Most of the ceramics and archiceture style are associated with the Mexicas. Building Six has a base of reduced proportions, with inclined walls, it has a stairway with wooden beams in the east side. Buildings Seven and Nine are interesting. They have flat circular bases, with stairways and wooden beams. This type of building is common in many regions of Mesoamerica, and it has a long tradition of being associated with Ehecatl, the Wind God. Building Eight has a very small base with stairways and wooden beams. Building Ten is a rectangular platform with three stairwells, two on its East side and one on the West. Building Number Ten seems to be product of many construction stages. There are few remains of Building Number Eleven and Building Number Fourteen. Building Number Twelve is important due to its location and size. It is aligned to the North of Building Number One. Building Number Thirteen is located behind Building Number One, on the Eastern side of the site; it also contains a double staircase on the first floor which becomes wider on the second floor. It shows at least two different stages of construction. Building Number Thirteen is associated with Tezcatlipoca, the "Espejo Humeante" (smoking mirror), counterpart of Quetzalcoatl. The very small museum and restrooms are clean.