Huandacareo

Chupícuaro – Purépecha Culture – Archaeological Site
Main structure platform on the background, burial area inside the right basement
Main structure, temple to the left and sunken patio to the right. The lake is on the background
Name: Huandacareo Archaeological Site
Type Mesoamerican archaeology
Location Mexico Huandacareo, Michoacán, Mexico
Region Mesoamerica
Coordinates 19°59′41″N 101°17′19″W / 19.99472°N 101.28861°W / 19.99472; -101.28861
Culture Chupicuaro – Chichimec - Purepecha
Language Purépecha
Chronology 1200 – 1530 CE
Period Mesoamerican Preclassical, Classical and Postclassical
Apogee
INAH Web Page Huandacareo Archaeological Site Archived 2010-01-12 at the Wayback Machine

Huandacareo (or Guandacareo)[1] is an archaeological zone located about 60 kilometers north of the city of Morelia, in the state of Michoacán.

The site was constructed on an elevated plateau overlooking the Cuitzeo lake, some 2.46 kilometers (1.52 mi.) from its north western shores and about two kilometers from the center of the Huandacareo town and municipality.[2] Locally the place is better known as "The Nopalera".

The site is located on the western side of Lake Cuitzeo, located at around 19°56′0″N 101°5′0″W / 19.93333°N 101.08333°W / 19.93333; -101.08333. It has an area of 300–400 km2.

The lake is astatic, and the volume and level of water in the lake fluctuates frequently. It is the second largest freshwater lake in Mexico.[3]

Although this site is of a clear Purépecha ancestry, the geographic location on the Cuitzeo basin and the ceremonial center concept, attests to the presence of some cultural elements originating elsewhere. As an example obsidian from the "cerro de Zináparo" in northern Michoacán or from Zinapécuaro east of Cuitzeo can be noted; as well as coastal materials, especially the Pacific Ocean. Also from the Mexican plateau and certainly from the Purépecha region of Pátzcuaro, that provided the main cultural influence.[4]

  1. ^ Oliveros, J. Arturo. "Zona Arqueológica de Huandacareo" [Huandacareo Archaeological Site]. INAH (in Spanish). Mexico. Archived from the original on January 12, 2010. Retrieved November 26, 2010.
  2. ^ Clément, Marianne C. (January 30, 2011). "Huandacareo Site Visit notes and photographs". {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  3. ^ Galindo de Obario, Marcela. "Water Quality and its Spatial Variability in Lake Cuitzeo, Mexico" 2005. International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation, Enschede, Netherlands. ITC.nl
  4. ^ "Huandacareo" (in Spanish). Arqueologia Michocan Mexico. Retrieved November 26, 2010.