Cempoala facts for kids
Cempoala or Zempoala was a very important ancient city in Mexico. Its name comes from the Nahuatl language, meaning 'Place of Twenty Waters'. This amazing archaeological site is found in the state of Veracruz.
Cempoala was mainly home to the Totonac people, along with others like the Chinanteca and Zapotec. It was one of the biggest and most important Totonac cities during its time. It even became the capital of the Totonacapan kingdom. The city was built close to the Actopan River and the coast.
When the Spanish explorers first arrived in America, Cempoala was the first large city they saw. Some historians believe the city was founded over 1,500 years before the Spanish arrived. There are even signs of the ancient Olmec people's influence here. The Totonacs moved to this area when the Toltec Empire was strong. They had to leave their homes in the mountains and come down to the coast. At its busiest, Cempoala had about 25,000 to 30,000 people living there.
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What Does Cempoala Mean?
The name "Cempoala" comes from the Nahuatl words "Cēmpoalli" (meaning twenty) and "ātl" (meaning water). So, it means "Twenty Waters." Another idea is that the name meant "Abundant Water." Both ideas suggest the city had many water channels or aqueducts. These channels would have brought water to the city's gardens and farms.
A third idea is that the name referred to trade. Some believe that markets and trading happened every 20 days in ancient times.
A Look at Cempoala's History
The Totonacs settled on this coastal plain when the Toltec Empire was at its peak, around 1000 to 1150 AD. Experts think the Toltecs pushed the Totonacs from their mountain homes down to the coast.
Cempoala was also the site of an important battle on May 27, 1520. This fight was between the Spanish forces of Pánfilo de Narváez and Hernán Cortés. Cortés's group had help from some local soldiers. You can learn more about this in the Battle of Cempoala.
The city is located on a flat coastal area. It is about six kilometers from the Gulf of Mexico. It is also just over a kilometer from the banks of the Rio Actopan.
The Alliance Against the Aztecs
Cempoala and other cities along the Veracruz coast were defeated by the powerful Aztec armies. This happened in the mid-1400s under Emperor Moctezuma I. The Aztecs made the Totonacs pay heavy taxes. They also forced them to send many people as tribute for sacrifices or as slaves. This harsh treatment by the Aztecs made the Totonacs very unhappy.
When the Spanish, led by Hernán Cortés, arrived in 1519, the Totonacs had been under Aztec rule for many years. The Spanish heard about Cempoala while they were camped nearby. They marched to the city and were met by 20 important Cempoalan leaders.
In the city, Cortés met the Totonac leader, Xicomecoatl, who was known as the "Fat Chief." Xicomecoatl welcomed them, gave them food, and offered them a place to stay. The Totonacs also gave Cortés many gifts, including gold jewelry.
Xicomecoatl told Cortés about all the problems and unfair treatment they faced from the Aztec Empire and their great ruler, Montezuma. Cortés promised to help them. At a nearby place called Quiahuiztlan, the Spanish and the Totonacs formed an alliance. They decided to work together against the Aztecs.
Both the Spanish and the Totonacs wanted the same thing: to defeat the Aztecs. In August 1519, Cortés and about 40 Totonac captains left for the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan. This group included around 8,000 Totonac soldiers and 400 porters. This alliance eventually led to the fall of Tenochtitlan and the capture of Moctezuma II, the Aztec emperor.
Exploring the Cempoala Site
The Cempoala site is a collection of impressive public areas and strong, fortress-like buildings. These structures were built using stones from the nearby river. They were held together with mortar and covered with a special lime. This lime was made from burning shells and snails. It gave the buildings a shiny, silver-like look when seen from far away.
The main part of the city was a political and religious center. The Mexica rulers called it the "Place of accounts." This is because it was where taxes and tributes from the whole region were collected.
One important area is called "walled system IV." This is where Cortés successfully fought against the forces of Pánfilo de Narváez. This victory helped Cortés become the main leader in the Spanish colonization of Mexico.
Main Structures at Cempoala
Here are some of the most important buildings you can see at Cempoala:
- Templo del Sol or Great Pyramid
This is also known as the Sun Temple. It was built on the same large platform as the Templo Mayor, with a big open square between them. It is one of the most impressive buildings at the site. This great temple looks a lot like the Sun Temple in the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan. There is also a square platform for Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent God, and a round temple for Ehécatl, the wind god.
- Templo Mayor
The top part of this temple has special battlements, which are like the tops of castle walls.
- Templo de las Chimeneas
This is called the Chimney Temple. It has several unique semicircular pillars, about 1.5 meters (5 feet) tall. These pillars give the building its special name.
- El Pimiento
This structure has three main sections. Its most interesting feature is its outside decoration. It has many carvings that look like skulls.
- Templo de la Cruz
This is the Cross Temple. It still has some parts of its original wall paintings, called frescoes. These paintings show designs related to the sky and stars.
- Templo Las Caritas
This temple is about 200 meters (650 feet) to the east. It has two levels and is decorated with pieces of stucco reliefs. It gets its name, "Las Caritas" (The Little Faces), from the hundreds of stucco skulls that once decorated the front of a small building at the base of its staircase. Experts believe this temple was dedicated to the god of death. It has two main sections. The lower part has murals showing the sun, moon, and Venus as the morning star. The upper part has many small clay "little faces" or skulls.
- Other Mounds
There are other ancient mounds in Cempoala that have not been dug up yet. Some of these are now under modern houses. These mounds might be the remains of homes where ordinary people lived long ago.
Astronomy at Cempoala
Some researchers have found an interesting connection between three round stone rings at Cempoala and astronomy. These rings are located beneath a large pyramid in the central plaza. Each ring is made of rounded beach stones joined together to form small, stepped pillars.
The largest ring has 40 stepped pillars. The middle ring has 28 pillars, and the smallest ring has 13 pillars around its edge. It seems these three rings were used to track different cycles in the sky. Perhaps priests moved a marker or an idol from one pillar to the next each day.
When viewed from the top of the main pyramid, these stone rings, with their 13, 28, and 40 step-like pillars, might have been counting tools. Totonac priests could have used them to keep track of eclipse cycles. It is possible that by using these rings, the Totonac priests were able to understand the movements of the moon. These rings show how smart and clever the ancient Mesoamericans were.
Cempoala After 1519
Cempoala was a thriving city when the Spanish arrived in Mexico. It was the most important ceremonial and trading center in the Aztec empire, even more so than Tlatelolco. The Spanish called it "Villa Viciosa," meaning "fertile village." They gave it this name because of the many festivals, beautiful gardens, and the happy nature of its people. Later, it was also known as "New Seville" because the Spanish thought it looked like a city in Spain.
Sadly, between 1575 and 1577, a terrible epidemic caused the population to decline. The city was eventually abandoned. The few people who survived moved to the city of Xalapa. Cempoala was then lost to history until archaeologist Francisco del Paso and Troncoso rediscovered it.
After the Spanish conquest, the Totonac people of Cempoala faced a new way of life. They were moved to new areas and became Christian. They were no longer allowed to practice their old religions. Many were made to work on new Spanish sugar cane fields.
See also
Template:Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Cempoala para niños
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