Malinalco (archeological site)

Cuauhtinchan
Malinalco (archeological site) is located in Mesoamerica
Malinalco (archeological site)
Location within Mesoamerica
LocationMalinalco, Mexico,  Mexico
RegionMexico State
Coordinates18°56′50.96″N 99°29′26.89″W / 18.9474889°N 99.4908028°W / 18.9474889; -99.4908028
History
PeriodsLate Preclassic to Late Classic

Cuauhtinchan Archeological Zone or Malinalco Archeological Zone, located just west of the town center on a hill called Cerro de los Idolos, which rises 215 meters above the town.[1] On its sides are a number of pre-Hispanic structures built on terraces built into the hill. The main structures are at the top.[2] This is one of the most important Aztec sites and was discovered in 1933,[3] and explored by José García Payón in 1935.[4] The visible complex dates from the Aztec Empire but the site's use as a ceremonial center appears to be much older.[4] The sanctuary complex was built from the mid 15th century to the beginnings of the 16th. To get to the Cerro de los Idolos one must climb 426 stairs up 125 meters.[5] Along the stairway leading to the site, there are signs with area's history written in Spanish, English and Nahuatl. The site contains six buildings.[6] The Cuauhcalli or House of the Eagles, which dates from 1501,[7] is the main building, which is significant in that it is carved out of the hill itself.[3] The building is in the shape of a truncated pyramid,[8] built this way due to the lack of space on the hill.[2] The monolithic Cuauhcalli has been compared to the Ellora in India, Petra on the shores of the Dead Sea and Abu Simbel in Egypt.[4] This was a sanctuary for the Eagle Warriors for rites such as initiation.[3] A thirteen-step staircase leading into this temple is flanked by side struts.[4] and two feline sculptures that face the plaza in front.[8] The Cuauhcalli consists of two rooms, one rectangular and the other circular, with an opening in the wall between the two. After being carved out of the rock, the walls and ceiling were covered in stucco and painted with murals, most of which are almost completely gone.[2] In the upper part, the entrance is symbolized by the open jaws of a serpent, complete with fangs, eyes and a forked tongue, which was painted red.[4] This upper portion is covered by a thatched roof of the grass the area is named for.[8]

  1. ^ Aguilar-Moreno 2009, p. 59
  2. ^ a b c "Zona Arqueológica de Malinalco Estado de México" [Archeological Zone of Malinalco, State of Mexico] (in Spanish). CD Travel. Archived from the original on 25 December 2007.
  3. ^ a b c "Malinalco". Mexico Desconocido Guia Especial Pueblos con Encanto Estado de Mexico (in Spanish). Mexico City: Grupo Editorial Impresiones Aéreas: 3e8–43. 2008. ISSN 1870-9419.
  4. ^ a b c d e Novo, Gerardo; Jorge de la Luz (2002). The State of Mexico. Mexico City: Ediciones Nueva Guia SA de CV. pp. 49–53. ISBN 968-5437-26-2.
  5. ^ "Malinalco". Mexico Desconocido Guia Estado de Mexico (in Spanish). 136. Mexico City: Grupo Editorial Impresiones Aéreas: 22–31. 2007. ISSN 1870-9400.
  6. ^ Aguilar-Moreno, Manuel (2009). "Chapter 5: Malinalco: A Place between Heaven and Earth". In Christie, Jessica Joyce (ed.). Landscapes of Origin in the Americas: Creation Narratives Linking Ancient Places and Present Communities. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: University of Alabama Press. pp. 57–76. ISBN 978-0-8173-1673-0.
  7. ^ Aguilar-Moreno 2009, p. 64
  8. ^ a b c Noguez, Xavier (2006). "El templo monolítico de Malinalco, Estado de México" [The monolithic temple of Malinalco, Mexico State]. Arqueología Mexicana (in Spanish). 78: 68–73. Archived from the original on 2010-01-03. Retrieved 2009-10-29.