San Miguel Ixtapan (archaeological site) facts for kids
San Miguel Ixtapan is an amazing ancient site located in Tejupilco (municipality), in the State of Mexico. Imagine a place where people lived for over a thousand years, building cool structures and leaving behind clues about their lives! This site is about 100 kilometers west of Toluca city. It's one of the few ancient places explored in this part of Mexico, giving us a peek into a history that was almost hidden.
The site was most important between 750 and 900 CE. This was right after the big city of Teotihuacan started to decline. San Miguel Ixtapan was in a special spot, possibly connecting the central highlands with areas like Michoacán and Guerrero. It had great resources like basalt stone for building, fertile land, and a large natural spring.
Quick facts for kids Otomi Culture – Archaeological Site |
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| Name: | San Miguel Ixtapan Archaeological Site | |
| Type | Mesoamerican archaeology | |
| Location | San Miguel Ixtapan, Tejupilco (municipality), State of Mexico Mexico |
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| Region | Mesoamerica | |
| Coordinates | 18°48′27″N 100°09′19″W / 18.80750°N 100.15528°W | |
| Culture | Otomí – Toltec – Aztec | |
| Language | Otomí – Nahuatl | |
| Chronology | 500 to 1500 CE | |
| Period | Mesoamerican Classical, Postclassical | |
| Apogee | 750 to 900 CE | |
| INAH Web Page | San Miguel Ixtapan Archaeological Site | |
Ancient History of the Region
The State of Mexico has a very long history of human life. The oldest signs are a quartz scraper and an obsidian blade found near Lake Chalco. These tools are about 20,000 years old! The first people were hunter-gatherers, meaning they hunted animals and gathered plants for food.
Over thousands of years, these groups slowly changed. They started farming and raising animals. Corn became their main crop. Around 2500 BCE, people began making pottery.
Major Ancient Cities
The first big city in the state was Teotihuacan, built between 100 BCE and 100 CE. Later, between 800 and 900 CE, the Matlatzincas became powerful, with their capital at Teotenango.
The Aztecs, led by rulers like Axayacatl (1469–1481), later conquered many Matlatzinca towns. Other important groups in the area included the Chichimecas, Acolhuas, Mazahuas, and Otomis.
What's in a Name?
The name "Ixtapan" comes from two words: "Iztatl" (salt) and "pan" (place). So, it means "place where there is salt." This is because salt was very important here, even in ancient times. It came from special wells with salty water.
The name "Tejupilco" is a bit of a mystery. It might mean "place of small footprints" or "place of strange footprints." People have had different ideas about its meaning over the centuries!
Discovering the Past
Farmers first found the San Miguel Ixtapan site in 1985 while plowing their fields. They saw rocks and other ancient remains. The first official report about the site was in 1958, when a special stone "model" was found. This stone has a miniature city carved into it!
At first, people thought it was a map of the San Miguel Ixtapan site. But later digs showed it wasn't. Now, experts think it's a model of an ideal city or a special ceremonial center, carved into the natural rock.
Who Lived Here?
It's hard to say for sure who built the site. But historical records suggest they were closely related to the Otomi culture.
Different Time Periods
Archaeologists have found signs of at least four different times when people lived at San Miguel Ixtapan:
- First Period (500 to 750 CE): This was at the end of the Classical period. They found parts of houses and small statues (figurines) from this time.
- Second Period (750 to 900 CE): This was the most important time for the site. Most of the main buildings you can see today were built then.
- Third Period (900 to 1200 CE): During this time, people reused the main buildings, adding new parts and making changes.
- Fourth Period (After 1200 CE): The site was empty for a while. Then, a group related to the Aztecs moved in. They built simple houses on top of the older structures. They stayed until the Spanish arrived. The Aztecs might have come here because it was a great spot for trading goods between the warm lowlands and the central highlands. Plus, there were those valuable salt wells!
Ancient Tejupilco Timeline
- Around 12,000 BCE: The oldest signs of people in the Tejupilco area are cave paintings. Early hunter-gatherers lived here. Over time, they became farmers and formed complex societies.
- Around 2000 BCE: An amazing discovery was made at San Miguel Ixtapan. On top of an ancient pyramid-like base, archaeologists found a mask and a necklace made of jade, along with human remains. This shows a culture existed here about 4,000 years ago! These items are now in the San Miguel Ixtapan Museum.
- Around 450 CE: The San Miguel Ixtapan culture really grew. They had strong connections with other big cities like Teotihuacan and Tula.
- Around 1475 CE: The Aztecs conquered the Tejupilco area. So, when the Spanish arrived, people in the region spoke both Matlazinca and Nahuatl (the Aztec language).
Exploring the Ancient Site
Even though the "model" stone was found in 1958, serious digging only started in 1985. The museum was built in 1993.
The San Miguel Ixtapan site has a museum where you can see many objects found during the excavations. These items tell us a lot about the culture and daily life of the people who lived here long ago.
Some small clay figures found at the site are very old, from between 800 and 200 BCE. They are similar to pottery from other ancient sites like Tlapacoya. Some even show pregnant women! Other figures are like those found at Teotihuacan, showing that people lived here continuously during the Classical period.
The most important time for San Miguel Ixtapan was between 750 and 900 CE. This is when the main buildings were constructed. The site was as grand as other famous cities like Xochicalco and Cholula, which also grew after Teotihuacan declined.
Many cool items in the museum are from this time. These include stone statues of people with crossed arms, clay masks, a stone ring from the ballgame court, and stone disks carved with a two-headed snake. There are also two tall stone carvings (called Stelae) of people, made from green stone and set into the ground.
Later, during the Postclassical period, the Aztecs took over the region. They didn't build much, but they left behind some rich burials. These burials included shell beads, necklaces, copper needles, earrings, obsidian lip plugs, spear points, and many pottery vases. Many of these items are perfectly preserved and can be seen in the museum.
You'll also notice that the local church in San Miguel Ixtapan was built using carved stone blocks from the ancient ruins!
The Structures You Can See
When you visit the site, you'll see two large earth mounds on your right, which hide ancient ruins. To your left is the ballgame court.
The Prehispanic Model Stone
This amazing stone "model" is a basalt rock about three by four meters. The ancient people carved a miniature city into it! You can see tiny ballgame courts, platforms, stairways, and temples. It's like a detailed map of an ancient ceremonial center.
Archaeologists have studied it a lot, but they haven't found any real city that looks exactly like it. So, it might be an "ideal" city or a special offering used in ceremonies. It even has up to five miniature ballgame courts!
The Ballgame Court
This court is shaped like the letter "I" or a double "T." It's 50 meters long and 7.50 meters wide. What's special is that the court was dug into the ground, so there are stairs to go down into it. On the south side, there's a platform where many human burials with rich offerings were found.
Basement 2
This structure hasn't been fully explored because there's a large tree growing on top of it! You can still see remains of red plaster on its eastern side and a recessed stairway on its western side.
Basement 3
This is the most important building at the site. It has three layers built on top of each other. On the very top, there are rooms that were likely used by the ruler. You can still see traces of plaster on the floors and walls.
In the northwest corner, there's a small space (niche) holding a sculpture of Tlaloc, the God of Water. Water was super important here for growing corn and for collecting salt, which were the main ways people made a living.
Stairway 4
Next to Basement 3, there's a stairway made of large basalt blocks. It leads down from the Tlaloc niche to an outdoor patio surrounded by a wall. You can also see parts of an ancient drainage system here.
Sunken Patio 5
On the south side of Basement 3 is the "Sunken Patio." This area was used for offerings and rituals. It was designed so that everyone attending could see what was happening. Inside, there's even a stone that might have been used for sacrifices. It has two stairways leading into it.
Structures 6, 7 & 8
These structures are located south of Basement 3 and west of the Sunken Patio. Visitors can't access them directly, as they are chained off.
These areas include the "Bench Enclosure" and the "Sculptures Enclosure."
- Sculptures Enclosure: This area held many offerings and small figures. Two green stone sculptures, set into the floor, were found here. They show Huiztocihuatl (Goddess of Salt Water) and Tlaloc (Rain God). Many of the figures in the museum were found in this spot.
- Bench Enclosure: This room has remains of plaster on its floor and walls. It might have been a resting place for the ruler. It also has a special ceremonial walkway decorated with stone "nails."
Many of the buildings at the site were covered with plaster. This might have helped protect them from damage, especially during the times when the Aztecs took over the area.
Site Museum
The museum at San Miguel Ixtapan opened in 1995. It's not very big, but it has over 800 amazing items! Many of these objects are in perfect condition. They were mostly found as part of offerings buried with the dead.
The museum shows pottery figures of women, some pregnant, that date back to 800 BCE to 200 CE. Other pieces are from the site's most important period, between 750 and 900 CE. These include pottery vessels, figures of gods, and even the skeleton of an important man, displayed just as it was found in one of the ancient mounds.
See also
In Spanish: Zona arqueológica de San Miguel Ixtapan para niños
