Altavista (Zacatecas) facts for kids
Altavista archaeological site in Chalchihuites
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| Location | Chalchihuites, Mexico |
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| Region | Mesoamerica |
| Coordinates | 23°28′42″N 103°56′44″W / 23.47833°N 103.94556°W |
| Type | Archaeological site |
| History | |
| Founded | c. 200 CE |
| Abandoned | c. 1500 CE |
| Cultures | Chalchihuites |
Altavista, also known as Chalchihuites, is an ancient site in Mexico. It's located near the town of Chalchihuites in the state of Zacatecas. Imagine it as a special cultural hub that people lived in for a very long time, from about 100 AD to 1400 AD.
The site is nestled in the "Sierra de Chalchihuites" mountains. The name chalchíhuitl comes from the Nahuatl language and means "precious stone." This is where the Chalchihuites-Chichimec culture once thrived.
The name Altavista comes from a ranch that was nearby when an archaeologist named Manuel Gamio first visited. Some experts believe this important center was built by a group called the Súchil branch of the Chalchihuites culture.
Altavista was part of the larger Chalchihuites culture. This culture was very advanced during the Classical period in Mesoamerica. They had a structured society, a system for writing with symbols, and built impressive cities. They also knew a lot about city planning, numbers, and astronomy (studying stars and planets). These clever people found everything they needed to build a strong community here.
Altavista was a key spot for trading turquoise. This precious stone came from mines far away in what is now New Mexico. Around 800 AD, the population started to shrink. This happened after a long dry period made farming very difficult in the Mexican desert.
The Chalchihuites culture was at its peak in Altavista between 400 and 650 AD. This ceremonial center marks the furthest north that the advanced Mesoamerican cultures reached.
This culture spread along the eastern side of the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains. It stretched from western Zacatecas into Durango between about 100 and 1250 AD. It's seen as a "border culture" because it was between settled Mesoamerican groups and hunter-gatherer Chichimec groups.
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Exploring Altavista's Past
In 1908, Manuel Gamio was the first to scientifically dig at Altavista. He explored an area now called the Columns Hall and its stairs. He also looked into nearby caves, thinking they might have been places for defense.
No one else studied the site much until 1971. That's when J. Charles Kelley started a big excavation project. Most of what we know about the Chalchihuites site and culture today comes from Kelley's 30 years of research.
Kelley believed that the Altavista ceremonial center was carefully planned and built between 450 and 470 AD. It wasn't just built anywhere! Its location and direction were based on Chapín hill, about seven kilometers away. On Chapín hill, two special stone carvings were found, similar to those at Teotihuacan. During the summer solstice, the sun's rays from these carvings would line up with a mountain called Picacho Mountain. This mountain is also connected to a mysterious part of Altavista called the Labyrinth.
What Makes Altavista Special?
Altavista is located almost exactly on the Tropic of Cancer. This is a special line around the Earth. The main buildings at Altavista are built so their corners point exactly to the north, south, east, and west. This kind of precise alignment is quite rare in ancient Mesoamerica.
Archaeologist Phil Weigand's work found over 750 ancient mines in the Chalchihuites area. This makes it one of the most active mining regions in Mesoamerica. They also found turquoise that came from far away, possibly from the southwestern United States, over a thousand kilometers north!
According to Kelley, Altavista was like other important Mesoamerican centers during its peak. But it was in a key area where Chichimec groups lived. This meant there was a lot of local trade and exchange of goods with other groups. They controlled mining and had political power. From 450 to 850 AD, they built and maintained religious and public buildings.
Important centers like Altavista, with their complex religious ideas, help us understand how Teotihuacán influenced different parts of Mesoamerica. Traders, priests, and merchants helped connect different groups. They created trade routes and networks, which were important for uniting Mesoamerica during the Classical period.
How Altavista Was Oriented
The ancient people built Altavista based on the exact positions of two hills. One is Chapín, where the special circle-cross carvings were found. From there, you can see the sun line up with another hill, Picacho Pelón. This alignment also connects to the Altavista Labyrinth, a long hallway with adobe walls. At the end of this hallway is the Observatory. From here, the first rays of the sun on the equinox (when day and night are equal) peek over Picacho Pelón.
The main plaza, or public square, points perfectly to the four main directions. This shows how much these ancient people knew about the stars and Earth's magnetic fields.
Another building, the "Columns Hall," was a lunar calendar. It has four rows of seven columns, which adds up to 28. This number matches the 28-day cycle of the moon.
Because it's so close to the Tropic of Cancer, Altavista is thought to be one of Mesoamerica's main astronomical observatories. Its location allowed people to perfectly watch the sun's path during the equinoxes and solstices. They observed the sun rising over the surrounding hills: Chapín, Pedregoso, and Picacho.
Amazing Structures at Altavista
It seems that many buildings at this site are still hidden underground, waiting to be explored!
There are two main public plazas, each with a mound in the middle. These mounds were likely used for important ceremonies or competitions. The eastern plaza seems to have had more special areas, possibly for leaders from different groups during events.
The Columns Hall
This is one of the oldest buildings at the site. It's a square room with traces of a chamber that had 28 columns. These columns held up the roof. The space is divided into four rows, with seven columns in each row. The columns are all different sizes and shapes. Experts believe this was a calendar, showing the 28-day lunar cycle. The hall was built on a stone platform, connected to a courtyard with a central altar and a raised walkway around the edge.
During the digs, archaeologists found that the building was very carefully planned. They used a system of posts to set the exact size and lines of the walls. These posts were then covered with plaster.
It's thought that the building first had an open courtyard in the center. Later, it was changed, and more columns were added to support a full roof. Even later, it was filled in to become a platform for another building that is now gone.
The Gamio Stairway
The "Gamio Stairs" likely led up to the building mentioned above. It looks like some columns were strengthened, and extra support was added to the outer walls. This suggests there might have been some problems with the building's structure.
Near the bottom northern corner, archaeologists found a burial with several people. Four ceramic pots were also found as offerings, possibly linked to the four main directions. The pots show an eagle holding snakes and lightning in its beak and claws. It's believed this building was a temple dedicated to the god Tezcatlipoca, who was seen as the Jaguar God of the Northern Skies.
The Sun Pyramid
In 1976, Kelley and his team found that this pyramid was the last of three building stages. On top, they found the remains of a temple with decorative battlements. Inside the pyramid, there was a hidden crypt. It held the remains of three people with very special offerings. It's thought these were priest-governors connected to sun worship.
The Skull Temple
This temple is southwest of the Sun Pyramid. Its adobe walls and floors were plastered many times. A small entrance, about 70 centimeters high, is in the middle of the southeastern wall. Two holes, about 40 centimeters wide, were found in the floor. These likely held wooden posts that supported the roof. In the center is a rock furnace covered in adobe plaster, about two square meters in size.
Archaeologists found many human bones scattered on the floor of this structure, mostly skulls, jawbones, and long bones. Most of the skulls had holes at the top, and two leg bones had traces of ropes tied to their ends. It's believed that the skulls and long bones hung from the ceiling. They might have been trophies or offerings related to special ceremonies.
This practice of displaying skulls and bones in rituals also appeared in central Mexico during the Postclassical period (900-1519 AD). It suggests a connection between the mountain groups in this northern region and those in the central plateau of Mexico.
The Labyrinth
The Labyrinth is next to the Columns Hall. It's a long corridor with stone walls, made up of many turns and pillars at different angles. A closer look showed that several changes and additions were made to the corridor over time. It has been proven that the eastern part of the corridor lines up with the top of Picacho hill when the sun rises during the equinox.
It seems that the sun on the horizon, behind Picacho, shines a direct beam of light into the Labyrinth. This is why it's called the "solar path." The amazing accuracy used to design and build this structure, so it could work as a solar calendar, is truly impressive. Next to the Labyrinth are a set of rooms, a hall, and an atrium, which is known as the Astronomers Palace.
Other Structures
There are still many buildings at Altavista that haven't been studied yet. On a platform southwest of the main courtyard, there are traces of three more structures: a central pyramid and smaller rooms on either side.
Protecting Altavista
People in the Chalchihuites area are worried about the lack of security at the site. They are also concerned about the safety of the important and valuable collection of ancient artifacts kept at the local museum.
See also
In Spanish: Altavista (Zacatecas) para niños
