El Tepozteco facts for kids
Quick facts for kids El Tepozteco |
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The Aztec pyramid of El Tepozteco
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| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Aztec |
| Deity | Tepoztēcatl |
| Status | ruined |
| Location | |
| Location | Mexico |
| Municipality | Tepoztlan |
| State | Morelos |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural type | Temple |
| Architectural style | Aztec |
| Specifications | |
| Direction of façade | WNW |
| Height (max) | 12.4 meters |
| Website | |
| El Tepozteco at INAH | |
El Tepozteco is an ancient Aztec temple located in the state of Morelos, Mexico. It was built high up on a mountain peak. This special temple was dedicated to Tepoztēcatl, who was the Aztec god of pulque. Pulque is an alcoholic drink made from the agave plant.
This important site was built during the middle of the Postclassic Period. This was a time in history between about 900 AD and 1521 AD. The temple and several terraces were constructed on a mountain peak in the Sierra de Tepoztlan. From here, it looked over the old town of Tepoztlan. El Tepozteco became a very important place. People traveled from far away, even from Guatemala, to visit it. The area around the temple is now part of El Tepozteco National Park.
Contents
Exploring the Temple of El Tepozteco
The main temple building stands on the western side of the site. It is built on a tall platform. This platform is about 6.4 meters (21 feet) high. On top of this platform is the base of the temple, which is about 3.3 meters (11 feet) tall. The remaining parts of the temple building itself are about 2.7 meters (9 feet) high.
Inside the Temple Rooms
The temple had two main rooms. The first room was at the front, right where the temple stairs ended. Two large pillars stood on either side of the entrance to this room. In the middle of this first room, archaeologists found a small hollow. Inside, they found traces of charcoal and copal. Copal is a type of tree resin that was often burned as incense in ancient ceremonies.
The entrance to the second room, which was a smaller, more private area, also had two pillars. It is believed that a sculpture of the god Tepoztecatl was kept in this inner room. This was likely the most sacred part of the temple.
Changes Over Time
The temple of El Tepozteco was changed and updated several times throughout its history. One of the first changes was making the entrance to the inner room narrower. This was done by building walls next to the pillars that were once free-standing.
The most important change was adding stone benches. A small decorative edge, called a cornice, was also added. On this cornice, there are special carvings called bas-reliefs. These carvings show the glyphs, or symbols, for the 20 days of the sacred tonalpohualli calendar. This was an important calendar used by the Aztecs.
Homes for Priests
On the eastern side of the site, there were terraces. These terraces had dwellings, or homes, built on them. These homes were for the priests who lived at the temple. They also housed the people who helped the priests with their duties.
See also
In Spanish: El Tepozteco para niños
