Tenayuca
Pyramid of Tenayuca | |
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Mexico State | |
Geographic coordinates | 19°31′55.8″N 99°10′6.5″W / 19.532167°N 99.168472°W |
Architecture | |
Type | Temple |
Style | Aztec |
Specifications | |
Direction of façade | West |
Length | 52 meters |
Width | 60 meters |
Website | |
Tenayuca at INAH (in Spanish) |
Tenayuca (
Tenayuca is considered to be the earliest capital city of the
Etymology
Tenayuca means walled place in Nahuatl.[1]
Location
The temple of Tenayuca is located in
History
By some historiographic traditions Tenayuca had been founded ca. 1224 by
However archaeological remains recovered from Tenayuca indicate that the site had already been occupied in the
In the late 13th century A.D., some time after the arrival of the Chichimecs at Tenayuca, Tochintecuhtli,[4] the ruling lord of Tenayuca, allied himself with Huetzin, lord of the Acolhuas of Coatlichán, and their alliance dominated the central Valley of Mexico, extending as far northeast as Tulancingo. By the mid 14th century the power of Tenayuca had already waned, it was conquered and replaced as a regional power by nearby Azcapotzalco.[5] Around 1434, Tenochtitlan conquered Tenayuca, bringing it into the Aztec Empire.[6]
At the time of the
At some point the site was abandoned. It was rediscovered during excavations made by Mexican archaeologists in 1925.[2]
Genesis of Aztec sacred architecture
Aztec temple architecture primarily developed at Tenayuca, which has the earliest example yet found of the typical Aztec double pyramid, which consists of joined pyramidal bases supporting two temples. After Tenayuca came under Aztec dominance, the Aztecs adopted this innovative style for the worship of their own deities.[8]
The temple of Tenayuca is better preserved than the similar temple of Tlatelolco and its wall of serpents remains mostly intact on three sides of the base of the pyramid.[2][9]
Site layout and description
The site consists of a massive truncated temple platform with a double stairway rising on the western side to where the twin temples of
Like many Mesoamerican temples, various phases of construction were built one on top of the other. In the case of Tenayuca, the size of the building increased through six phases of construction but the basic form remained unchanged. The original double pyramid was enlarged five times, the first time probably in 1299 and then successively at 52-year intervals. The last phase of construction probably dates to 1507 and measures 62 meters wide by 50 meters deep. Aztec influence is apparent from the third stage in 1351, the following stages were purely Aztec in style, as demonstrated by the sloping tiers of the pyramid rather than the vertical walls apparent in the earlier stages.[1][2]
The grand temple base is surrounded by a coatepantli (Nahuatl for wall of serpents), a low platform supporting 138 stone sculptures of snakes. Their bodies were once covered with plaster and painted in a variety of colours, with their scales painted black. On the north and south sides of the temple, at ground level, are two sculptures of coiled serpents . The crests on their heads bear markings representing the stars and identify them as Xiuhcoatl (the fire serpent). All the serpent sculptures around the temple were associated with fire and sun worship.[1][2]
There are several altars and shrines nearby that were also excavated, some of these also have serpent sculptures.[7]
200 meters from the main temple of Tenayuca are the remains of what appear to have been an elite residential complex, with surviving plaster floors in some rooms. This area has been labelled Tenayuca II by archaeologists and appears to have gone through various phases of construction.[1]
The temple of Tenayuca is in the care of the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (National Institute of Anthropology and History) and is open to the public.
Photo gallery
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View of pyramids north side
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East side of pyramid
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Section of serpent wall or coatepantli on the northwest side of pyramid
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Inside of pyramid museum
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Museum exhibit of settlements glyph
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Coiled snake sculpture at north altar
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North altar to the side of the pyramid. The snake sculpture is between the two platforms
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This altar, decorated with skulls and crossed bones was found in the pyramids base with human bone fragments remaining
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Southwest portion of the coatepantli
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Coiled serpent on south side of pyramid
See also
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h Tenayuca at INAH Archived 2009-07-27 at archive.today (in Spanish)
- ^ a b c d e f g Kelly 2001, pp. 92–93.
- ^ Davies 1982, 1990, p166.
- ^ Rabbit Lord in Nahuatl
- ^ Davies 1982, 1990, p167.
- ^ Hassig 1988, p.152.
- ^ a b Smith 1996, 2003, p.41.
- ^ Matos Moctezuma 2002, p57.
- ^ Davies 1982, 1990, p232.
References
- Aguilar-Moreno, Manuel (2007). "Aztec Art" (PDF). Aztec Art and Architecture. Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, Inc. (FAMSI). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-06-25. Retrieved 2008-06-27.
- OCLC 27035231.
- OCLC 40939882.
- OCLC 1885747.
- OCLC 11212208.
- OCLC 17106411.
- OCLC 44167649.
- Kelly, Joyce (2001). An Archaeological Guide to Central and Southern Mexico. Norman: ISBN 0-8061-3349-X.
- OCLC 56096386.
- Smith, Michael E. (2003) [1996]. The Aztecs (second ed.). Malden MA; Oxford and Carlton, Australia: OCLC 59452395.
- Wimmer, Alexis (2006). "Dictionnaire de la langue nahuatl classique" (in French and Nāhuatl). Retrieved 2008-06-27.
External links
- Tenayuca at INAH (in Spanish)