El Cóporo facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Chichimec(Guachichil) – Toltec Archaeological Site





Name:	El Cóporo archaeological site
Type	Archaeology
Location	Ocampo Municipality, Guanajuato Mexico
Region	Mesoamerica, México
Coordinates	21°32′58″N 101°28′22.71″W / 21.54944°N 101.4729750°W / 21.54944; -101.4729750
Culture	Chichimec – Guachichil – Toltec
Language	Guachichil, now extinct
Chronology	200 – 1100 CE
Period	Mesoamerican late Classical – Early Postclassical
INAH Web Page	Non existent

El Cóporo is an ancient site from before the time of Columbus. It is located in the northern part of Mesoamerica, a cultural area in Central America. You can find it on the western side of the Santa Bárbara mountains, about 15 kilometers (9 miles) south of Ocampo, in Guanajuato state, Mexico.

This site is one of the four most important archaeological places in the state of Guanajuato.

The name Cóporo comes from the Purépecha language. It means 'over the big road'. The site is named after the Cóporo hill, where it sits at the very top, 156 meters (512 feet) high. About 80 percent of the main ceremonial and government area has been explored. Around this center, 29 smaller settlements were built on the hillsides. Most people lived here between 500 and 900 CE.

El Cóporo covers about 84 hectares (208 acres) on the slopes and top of Cerro del Cóporo hill. As of 2009, only about five percent of this area has been dug up and studied by archaeologists.

The groups of people who lived here were connected to cultures from the states of San Luís Potosí, Jalisco, Zacatecas, and Guanajuato. At some point, these groups moved to central Mexico. There, they joined other peoples and helped create the diverse Toltec society.

Discovering El Cóporo's Past

For a long time, people thought that Guanajuato was only home to hunter-gatherer groups called the Chichimeca. These groups had a semi-nomadic way of life, meaning they moved around a lot.

However, during later periods, the Chichimeca lived in areas that had once been home to settled people with advanced Mesoamerican cultures. Evidence of these older civilizations can be found all over the region, near rivers, in valleys, and on hills. It's clear that many different groups lived in Guanajuato long ago and formed complex partnerships.

The time before the Spanish arrived in Mexico is called the prehispanic period. During this long time, the people who lived in Ocampo created their own unique culture. The Ocampo area was home to people who developed ways of life influenced by both the local geography and major Mesoamerican cultures like the Teotihuacan and Toltec. Even though the desert conditions made it hard, these groups still developed complex societies.

El Cóporo shows signs of the Chupícuaro culture, which grew in the Bajío region at the same time as the Teotihuacan culture.

It is believed that groups like the Otomíes (who were ancestors of some Chichimeca groups) and Nahuatlacas lived in Guanajuato.

Who Were the Chichimeca?

The Chichimeca are thought to have arrived in central Mexico around the 12th century CE. Their arrival caused other groups, like the Otomies and Tecuexe, to move.

Many people used to think the Chichimeca were wild, simple nomads without much organization. They were sometimes seen as raiding the lands of the Otomi and Purépecha peoples.

When the Spanish conquered Tenochtitlan, they didn't expect it would take them over 200 years to conquer northern Mexico. This northern region was known as Aridoamerica. Several Chichimeca groups lived there. The Spanish called them "Chichimeca," which meant "uncivil and dirty dog," because they thought these groups had a lower cultural level compared to other native cultures in Mesoamerica.

There were four main Chichimeca groups: the Pames, Guamare, Zacateco, and Guachichiles. The Zacateco and Guachichiles were considered to have a less developed culture than the others. However, the Chichimeca still built impressive temples, ballgame courts, and created pottery and cave paintings (petroglyphs). They did all this in a tough, dry area with little rain.

In this region, the most common Chichimeca group was the Guachichiles. They were known as the fiercest warriors. Their main base was a place called “Tunal el Grande,” which offered them shelter and food.

The Guachichiles were famous for painting their bodies, hair, and faces with red dye. Because of this, the Mexica people called them "guachichile," which means "heads painted red."

Chichimeca Beliefs

The Chichimeca practiced their religion in special civic-religious centers. Priests, witches, or sorcerers, called “madai cojoo” (meaning "big sorcerer"), led these ceremonies. These worship places were usually on mountainsides or high up. Besides the Sun and Moon, they didn't have fixed gods. Their gods could be a stone one day and a different figure or symbol the next.

What "Chichimeca" Means

The word "Chichimeca" was generally used to mean "barbarian" or "savage." However, it has several meanings. Some say it meant "Eagles" in their language. Others think it means "sucking," from the verb "chichi" (to breastfeed), because they might have sucked blood from hunted animals. Other ideas include "chichic" (bitter) or "chichi" (dog). Some believe it means "people who live in chichiman," which is understood as a "place of dogs."

The Nahua peoples of Mexico used "Chichimeca" as a general name for many semi-nomadic groups. These groups lived in northern Mexico and the southwestern United States. The term had a similar meaning to how Europeans used the word "barbarian."

The Silver Route

Ancient trade routes connected different parts of Mesoamerica. There were also mines with valuable minerals and semi-precious stones. A trade network likely stretched from the southern United States, through central Mexico, and as far as Nicaragua and Costa Rica in Central America. It is very possible that these important trade routes passed through the El Cóporo site.

Studying the Site

Archaeological findings at El Cóporo, like ceramic objects and stone tools, show connections to the Tunal Grande region in San Luis Potosí. They also show strong links to ancient settlements in Zacatecas, Jalisco, and the Guanajuato Bajio region.

The first archaeological research at El Cóporo was done by Beatriz Braniff in 1962. She helped understand the types of pottery found there and some building styles. She noted the presence of columns, linking the site to places like La Quemada and Altavista (Zacatecas). Her work showed that people lived here from early times until the early Postclassical period.

In 1965, a local researcher named Mr. Jesús Aguirre found many high-quality artistic and religious items. These suggested that the people at El Cóporo had a high level of social development.

After almost 40 years, archaeological digs at the site began again in 2002. Armando Nicolau Romero continued the research. He created maps of the area and carried out new excavations.

The Ancient City

This ancient settlement was made up of several villages built around the main hill. People might have started settling here as early as 200 CE. Evidence suggests the city was abandoned between 1000 and 1100 CE. This was possibly due to climate changes that made farming difficult.

Researchers have divided the site into three main areas, like neighborhoods. One area is thought to be for ceremonies. At the bottom of the hill are the Gotas and Montes neighborhoods, with platforms. Along the valley, there are housing units.

Archaeologists have found over 150 structures at El Cóporo. These are grouped into different zones, showing that some areas were for ceremonies, others for government, and some for homes.

Main Groups of Buildings

At the top of the hill, archaeologists have found four pyramid-like structures. These were likely special areas for rulers and priests. These groups of buildings are called Gotas, Montés, Cóporo, and Caracol. They were built between 500 and 900 CE. Large open squares, possibly used for administration and religious events, have also been found on the north and west sides of the complex.

So far, six main groups of buildings have been dug up at this ancient site. They are connected to the Tunal Grande culture (200-1100 CE). These groups are Gotas, Llano, Aire, Cóporo, Montés, and Caracol.

Cóporo Group

The Cóporo group is located at the very top of the hill. It was a ceremonial area, built like an acropolis (a high, fortified part of an ancient city).

In this group and the Gotas group, human burials were found. What's interesting is that some skeletons were colored with several layers of black pigment. This suggests that people had special rituals for their dead.

Gotas Group

This group is located on the lower slopes of the hill. It was a civic and administrative area.

Recent digs show that one building here was a residential home. Wood remains found were used as columns to support a roof. Tests on these wood pieces show they date from 500 to 900 CE.

Montés Group

This group was mainly a residential area, where people lived.

Caracol Group

The Caracol group also seems to have been a residential area. It has defensive features, like fences made of dirt and stone.

Llano Group

The Llano group is in the lower part of the site. It includes various public and private areas, as well as workshops where people made things.

Aire Group

It is likely that the gravel road in this group was used by pilgrims (people on a religious journey) to reach the sacred places at the site.

Important Structures

Plaza 1

This plaza will be kept mostly in its original state. Some excavations and holes will show how it was found by archaeologists.

Plaza 2

This plaza is part of the Gotas group. It has been fully uncovered and made stable. It covers 5,000 square meters (about 54,000 square feet). It has four platforms, with the most important buildings on the east and north sides.

Eastern Platform

This platform is surrounded by a slope made of stone and adobe, covered with stone work. It has a staircase leading to a hallway, which opens into a large room. This room has 20 wooden columns arranged in three rows. This feature is unique to El Cóporo in the whole region.

These 20 columns might relate to Mesoamerican calendars, which often had cycles of 20 days. The entrances and fronts of the buildings face west. This suggests the people might have watched the stars and linked their ceremonies to the sun's cycle.

At the back of this room, another staircase leads to a second level. There, you'll find a small hallway with a smaller room and 10 columns around a central open space.

Northern Platform

This platform has a long, wide stone base with three structures. The middle one is known as the Palace. It has a staircase and a room with four columns facing south, which might have supported a pointed (gabled) roof.

On the sides of the Palace are stairs leading to another level with their own rooms and columns. These rooms were probably used for government or community activities.

Southern and Western Platforms

These platforms completely surround Plaza 2. They are much smaller and contain rooms divided by adobe walls. Some stoves found here suggest these might have been kitchens for large ceremonies.

Site Care

Unfortunately, there is damage to ancient pottery, hunting tools, grinding stones (molcajetes), and parts of houses. These items are often found only 20 centimeters (8 inches) deep. Some pieces are even on the surface, mixed with animal waste from livestock grazing in the area.

There have been reports of carelessness in preserving the site by the INAH (Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History), the Guanajuato Government, and the local Municipality.