Teopantecuanitlan
Teopantecuanitlan is an
Location
Teopantecuanitlan is located in the state of
Teopantecuanitlan was a center for a region that included Oxtotitlán, Juxtlahuaca, Xochipala, Zumpango del Río, and Chilpancingo.[1]
Art and architecture
Teopantecuanitlan was occupied from 1400 to 500
Mezcala culture type artifacts were found in the Teopantecuanitlan area.[4]
To the north of the Sunken Patio, clay sculptures were found. These were the oldest sculptures on the site. Some similarities are found between them and the monuments at Ojo de Agua, Chiapas, dated to 1200-1100 BC.[5]
Sunken Patio
In addition to the residential areas, Teopantecuanitlan is notable for its monumental architecture, art, and agricultural terraces, in particular one of the first civil-ceremonial structures in all of Mesoamerica, El Recinto ("the enclosure"), also known as the Sunken Patio, constructed during Phase II (between 1000 and 800 BCE). The Sunken Patio is so-named because it is 2 meters (7 ft) below the natural ground level, built on a base of yellow clay, dressed with travertine blocks.
Four large, nearly identical, monumental travertine blocks adorn the east and west sides of the Sunken Patio. These blocks are carved to resemble anthropomorphic creatures, most likely
The back of one of these monuments, Monument 2, contains symbols which Martinez Donjuán interprets as "10 Flower". If this interpretation is correct, this would be the oldest Mesoamerican calendar date yet discovered.
This site also contains two
Stone-faced patios and bas-relief monumental art are the features that are also found at the site of Chalcatzingo, Morelos. These are the only two sites known with these features. The sunken patio of Teopantecuanitlan is older. There are also other parallels between these sites.[9]
Other features
Teopantecuanitlan is also home to the oldest known Mesoamerican dam. This dam was constructed around 1200 BCE and built of rough uncut rocks. This dam relied on gravity to bring water to the agricultural land. Canals, or channels, made of large flat stone slabs are also present in Teopantecuanitlan. The lining of these canals were of benefit to the domestication of plants by being a means of irrigation. These canals prevented erosion damage, loss of water also acted as a sewer.
This site is also the first known within Mesoamerica to utilize the architectural feature known as a corbelled vault. This vault allowed for high ceilings without the use of trapezoidal cut stone. These corbelled vaults were used in ancient structures such as the tombs of the elite and in temples.
Teopantecuanitlan society was not egalitarian — otherwise such monumental structures would not have been built. There was a leader in place to oversee the building of these structures as well as instruct the laborers and ensure that all the necessary resources were available.
Discovery and excavation
Teopantecuanitlan was discovered by Martinez Donjuán in 1983, after reports of looting at this
The Teopantecuanitlan site is open to the public Tuesdays through Sundays from 10:00 to 17:00 hours.
Olmec connections
Olmec influence is seen in many of the monuments of Teopantecuanitlan. In addition to the four prominent monuments discussed above, Olmec style or Olmec-influenced artifacts have been found throughout the site.
There are several theories regarding how such Olmec motifs and designs — perhaps even deities — came to be at a site hundreds of miles/kilometers from the Olmec heartland. Martinez Donjuán believes that the roots of the Olmec culture lie in Teopantecuanitlan, and a splinter group left Teopantecuanitlan to colonize what we call the Olmec "heartland".[10] a revival of Miguel Covarrubias's hypothesis, first formulated in 1946.[11]
The state of Guerrero seems to have played important role in the early history of Olmec culture. Olmec-style artifacts tend to appear earlier in some parts of Guerrero than in the Veracruz-Tabasco area. In particular, the objects from the Amuco-Abelino site in Guerrero reveal dates as early as 1530 BC.[12]
Noted archaeologist
Footnotes
- ^ Martinez Donjuan, p. 200.
- ^ Reilly (2000), p. 756.
- ^ Reilly (2000), p. 756.
- ISBN 1136801855p319
- ISBN 0884023648p60
- ^ Malmström, p. 1
- ^ Martinez Donjuán differentiates the four monuments into two pairs, with either a feline or a bird beak "orifice" (Martinez Donjuán (2000), p. 200). Other researchers do not make this distinction.
- ^ Due to its size and placement, Martinez Donjuán considers this to be a symbolic, rather than an actual, ballcourt (Martinez Donjuán (2000), p. 200).
- ISBN 0521351650p146
- ^ Diehl, p. 169-170,
- ISBN 0884020983p196
- ISBN 1136801855p315
- ^ Coe, p. 80.
- ^ Diehl, p. 169-170.
References
- Coe, Michael (1994), Mexico: From the Olmecs to the Aztecs, 4th edition, Thames & Hudson, NY.
- Diehl, Richard A. (2004) The Olmecs: America's First Civilization, Thames & Hudson, NY.
- Evans, Susan Toby (2004) Ancient Mexico & Central America: Archaeology and Cultural History, New York: Thames & Hudson.
- Reilly, F. K., (2000), "Tlacozotitlán (Guerrero, Mexico)" in Evans, Susan, Archaeology of Ancient Mexico and Central America, Taylor & Francis.
- Malmström, V. H., "A Survey of Teopantecuanitlán, Guerrero, Mexico".
- Martinez Donjuan, Guadalupe (2000), "Teopantecuanitlan", in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Mesoamerican Cultures, Carraso, David, ed., Oxford University Press.
- Martinez Donjuan, Guadalupe (1986), "Teopantecuanitlan", in Arqueologia y Etnohistoria del Estado de Guerrero, Roberto Cervantes-Delgado, ed., Instituto de Antropologia e Historia of Mexico, pp 55–80.
External links
- The National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) Teopantecuanitlan website
- Architecture through the Ages, with a brief description of the architecture of the Olmec.