Cuicuilco facts for kids
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Western side of the circular pyramid at Cuicuilco.
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 Location in Mesoamerica
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| Location | Valley of Mexico, Mexico |
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| Region | Valley of Mexico |
| Coordinates | 19°18′06″N 99°10′54″W / 19.30167°N 99.18167°W |
| History | |
| Founded | Around 1000 BCE |
| Abandoned | 2nd–3rd century CE |
| Periods | Preclassic to Early Classic |
Cuicuilco is an important archaeological site in the southern Valley of Mexico. It is now part of Mexico City. Some historians believe this ancient settlement began around 1400 BC. Others think its pyramid might be the oldest building in the Americas, possibly from 6,500 BC.
Cuicuilco was a busy place during the Middle and Late Formative periods (about 700 BCE to 150 CE). It was one of the first big cities in the Valley of Mexico. It might have even traded with the Olmec people from the Gulf Coast.
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Why Cuicuilco Was Important
Cuicuilco was the first major religious and government center in the Mexican Highlands. It had all the different social groups and cultural features that would later define the big city-states of ancient Mesoamerica.
This site also shows how early states started to form in Mesoamerica. There is proof of different levels of settlements, from small villages to larger towns. People also invested a lot in building impressive structures.
Cuicuilco became a rival to Teotihuacan, another powerful city about 60 km away. They often had conflicts, building defenses against each other.
The city was eventually destroyed and abandoned. This happened after the Xitle volcano erupted. The eruption forced people to move and changed the population. This event helped Teotihuacan become the main power in the Central Highlands.
Today, you can still see eight of the many buildings that once stood there. There are also remains of a system that brought water to the city. One pyramid was built in a special spot. This shows how early people tried to connect their religious beliefs with events in the sky through their buildings.
What Does "Cuicuilco" Mean?
The exact meaning of the name Cuicuilco is not known for sure.
However, according to Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), an American archaeologist named Zelia Nuttall thought that Cuicuilco means "Place where songs and dances are made."
The Story of Cuicuilco
Cuicuilco started as a small farming village. But it quickly showed signs of early religious practices. People made stone offerings and used ceramic pots as grave goods for burials.
The city grew around a large ceremonial center. This center had pyramids and an urban area with plazas and roads. There were also small, shallow pools that collected water from nearby hills. At its peak, about 20,000 people lived in Cuicuilco.
The site features terraces, various buildings, and even irrigation ditches and canals. The most famous structure is a large pyramid base built around 800–600 BCE.
Archaeological findings, like ceramics and buildings, show that Cuicuilco grew over many generations. It started as a small settlement in the first millennium BCE. Its people traded with other sites in the Basin of Mexico and even faraway places.
The earliest signs of people living here are from about 1200 BCE. These were small farming villages. Between 1000–800 BCE, people built cone-shaped structures with oval bases. Experts believe these sites were becoming important regional centers.
The great pyramid of Cuicuilco shows this growth. It was likely built between 800–600 BC. Cuicuilco began to decline between 100 BCE and 1 CE. This was when Teotihuacan started to become a major city.
How the Culture Grew
Around 800 BCE, small settlements appeared in the area. These slowly grew into cities. By 100 CE, Cuicuilco was a major city with about 20,000 people. It had complex religious systems and different social classes. It was similar to Teotihuacan during that time.
Some experts think Cuicuilco grew because of its good location. It was near a mountain pass to Toluca and close to the shores of Lake Texcoco.
The people of Cuicuilco also created a new style of ceramics around 600–200 BCE. This shows how the region developed over time.
Daily Life and Food
The people of Cuicuilco had access to many natural resources. They were about 4 km from Lake Xochimilco. They were also near the Sierra de las Cruces and Ajusco mountains. There were also water springs and streams.
The main way they got food was through farming. They probably also hunted, fished, and gathered food. Getting wood from nearby forests was easy. Their farms were close to the city, though they are now buried under lava and modern buildings.
The End of Cuicuilco
Cuicuilco began to decline in the early 1st century BCE. This was when Teotihuacan started to become more powerful. Around 400 CE, the Xitle volcano erupted. It was located near Ajusco mountain. This eruption buried and destroyed what was left of Cuicuilco and another important center called Copilco.
This disaster caused the people of Cuicuilco to scatter. Many moved to Toluca and Teotihuacan. Teotihuacan then adopted many parts of the Cuicuilca culture.
Even after the volcano covered the site with lava, people continued to make offerings there. This shows that the place remained important to them. The lava flow from Xitle is still visible today. It separates the modern ground from the ancient city. This shows how much of the city was completely destroyed. These eruptions helped Teotihuacan rise as the main city in the Basin of Mexico.
Archaeologists believe Cuicuilco was a very important community before Teotihuacan became a big city. They note that when Cuicuilco was building pyramids, Teotihuacan was just starting as a few small communities. The city was likely abandoned around 150 to 200 AD after the Xitle volcano erupted. Pottery found suggests that people who fled the volcano moved north. They became part of the population of Teotihuacan.
The Archaeological Site Today
The Cuicuilco site is covered by a thick layer of volcanic lava. This area is known as the Pedregal de San Ángel. The lava covers about 80 square kilometers. It stretches from the foothills of the Ajusco mountain range down to a nearby lake shore. A study in 1956 found that the uneven lava, which can be over 10 meters deep, helped preserve Cuicuilco.
The site is also within a modern city area. Parts of it are covered by buildings of the National University of Mexico. Because of this, only some archaeological work has been possible. Modern construction has also damaged parts of the ancient city. For example, some important finds in the 1990s, including a circular pyramid, were destroyed to build an office complex. This means it's hard to know the true size and complexity of Cuicuilco.
Other Discoveries
When the lava covered the ancient settlement, it sealed and preserved many things. Archaeologists have found ceramics from before the eruption. They also found burials near the main pyramid.
Between 1966 and 1968, many important buildings were found. More than 300,000 ceramic pots were recovered from one area. Studies of these pots showed that people continued to live in the area even after the Xitle eruption. This continued through later periods, right up to the Spanish conquest. However, the site's importance and population dropped a lot.
Later studies in 1990 found mostly preclassical ceramics. But they also found pots from later times, including colonial and modern periods. This shows that people continued to live in Cuicuilco for a very long time.
Archaeological materials show that after the Xitle eruption, things were deposited on lava. This suggests that villages existed from about 200 to 950 CE. People threw broken pots and other items into the water. Many pots were trapped in the lava. These included everyday items like pans and pitchers. They also found fragments of special items like braziers and small figures. These were likely thrown into the water as offerings during rituals.
Many ceramic items found are from the time when Teotihuacan was at its peak (200 to 650 CE). There are also items from later periods (650-950 CE). These show strong connections between the Valley of Mexico and other regions ruled by Teotihuacan. They also show how new groups formed after Teotihuacan declined.
Archaeologists also found Aztec ceramics from before the Spanish arrived. This shows that people continued to live in Cuicuilco even then.
Cuicuilco Today
Cuicuilco faces challenges because of its location. Modern city planning and economic interests often conflict with preserving the archaeological site.
The known Cuicuilco site is divided into two main areas. Cuicuilco A is where the main ceremonial center is. Cuicuilco B is to the west, near the Olympic Village Sports Centre.
Historians and archaeologists all agree on Cuicuilco's importance. However, it has not been studied as much as other sites like Teotihuacan. The biggest challenge is that most of the area is covered by a thick layer of lava, about 9 to 10 meters deep. Also, modern buildings are built directly on top of the archaeological site. Examples include the Telmex building and the Cuicuilco commercial Plaza.
The Cuicuilco Site Museum was designed by the famous Mexican architect Luis Macgregor Krieger.
Images for kids
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Path and stairs leading up the main pyramid of Cuicuilco
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This "kiva" was discovered and named by archeologist Byron Cummings, who likened it to semi-buried round chambers found in the SW U.S. Its ritual purpose is unknown.
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Looking southeast from the top of the main pyramid of Cuicuilco toward the boroughs of Tlalpan and Xochimilco
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Looking southwest from the top of the pyramid with the Villa Olimpica (now housing) built for the 1968 Summer Olympics
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Cuicuilco Museum showcase with clay figurines and pots.
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A stone sculpture found at the base of the great pyramid. It is the only one ever found dating to the High Classic Period of Mesoamerica (800 BC – 200 AD)
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Showcase at the Cuicuilco Museum displaying tools such as mortars, blades and pots
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Showcase with jewelry, among other items
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Showcase with bowls
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Showcase with a type of "metate" used to grind corn. The drawing above illustrates how this tool was used.
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Clay figurines adorned with jewelry like that on display
See also
In Spanish: Cuicuilco para niños
- List of pre-columbian archaeological sites in Mexico City
