Teopanzolco facts for kids
Teopanzolco is an ancient Aztec place in the Mexican state of Morelos. Today, it's part of the modern city of Cuernavaca. Most of the old buildings you can see there were built between the years 1300 and 1521.
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What Does Teopanzolco Mean?
The name Teopanzolco comes from the Nahuatl language. It means "the place of the old temple."
Where is Teopanzolco?
Teopanzolco was built on a hill made from old lava. Even though this area is now a busy part of Cuernavaca called Vista Hermosa, a long time ago it was a forest with many pine trees.
A Look at Teopanzolco's Past
People started living in the Morelos Valley around 2000 BC. Later, during the Classic Period, Teopanzolco was influenced by the big city of Teotihuacan.
By the Postclassic Period, different groups of Nahua people moved into the area. The Tlahuica people built nearby Cuauhnahuac (which is now Cuernavaca) and Teopanzolco.
In 1427 AD, the Aztec emperor Moctezuma Ilhuicamina conquered the Tlahuicas. After that, Teopanzolco became part of the Aztec Empire. The Tlahuicas had to pay taxes and join the Aztec army. The history of Teopanzolco ended in 1521 when the Spanish Conquest happened. The Tlahuicas were still living there and paying tribute to the Aztecs at that time.
Teopanzolco was likely the first main center of Cuauhnahuac. This was during the Early Aztec period (around 1150–1350 AD). Later, the main ceremonial center moved to a safer spot, which is now the center of modern Cuernavaca. After this move, no new buildings were made at Teopanzolco.
How Teopanzolco Was Found Again
Teopanzolco was found again in the 1910s during the Mexican Revolution. Revolutionary soldiers, led by Emiliano Zapata, put their cannons on the Great Platform (Building 1). They used them to shoot at enemy positions in Cuernavaca. The cannon fire shook the ground and revealed the old stone buildings underneath!
Studying the Site
Archaeologists started digging at Teopanzolco in 1921. More studies happened in 1956-57 by Román Piña Chan and Eduardo Noguera. They looked at the temple of Ehecatl and learned about the pottery found there. More digs took place in 1968-69 and 1980. Since 1985, the INAH (a Mexican history institute) has been taking care of the site every year.
A Hidden Temple Discovery
On September 19, 2017, an earthquake damaged the main temple. As archaeologists repaired it, they found something amazing! They discovered a smaller, unknown temple hidden inside the main one. This inner temple was likely for Tlaloc, the god of rain.
Archaeologists found walls covered in stucco, a bench, and a pillar. These parts might be from an even older time (around 1150-1200 AD). If this is true, it means this hidden temple at Teopanzolco is older than the famous Templo Mayor in Mexico City! More studies are needed to confirm this exciting idea.
Exploring the Teopanzolco Site
Only the ceremonial center of Teopanzolco has been saved. The parts where people used to live are now under the modern city. So, we don't know how big the ancient city truly was. The buildings that remain were made from local basalt rock. Even though the original painted plaster is gone, the buildings were probably colorful, like at other old sites. Both the Tlahuicas and Aztecs built here, but most of the buildings and pottery found are Aztec.
- Great Platform or Building 1. This is the main building at the site. It's a pyramid-shaped base that once held two temples on top. The temple on the north side was for Tlaloc, the Aztec rain god. The temple on the south side was for Huitzilopochtli, the god of war. Two stairways led up to these temples. Having two temples like this was typical for Aztec buildings. There are signs of two building stages, with the second one built right on top of the first. The second stage seems to have been stopped when the Spanish arrived.
- Temple of Tlaloc This was a small area with four pillars. These pillars probably held up a wide roof. It is on the Great Platform.
- Temple of Huitzilopochtli This temple was bigger than the Temple of Tlaloc. It had two rooms, one behind the other. An altar was found in the back room. It is also on the Great Platform.
- Building 2 This is a low, flat platform with a wide stairway facing north.
- Building 3 is a small, rectangular platform with a stairway facing east.
- Building 4 is a wide but not very deep rectangular platform with an east-facing stairway. In this building, archaeologists found a pit with many human bones and two obsidian knives. The bones belonged to 35 people, both men and women, who had been sacrificed.
- Building 5 is another small, rectangular platform with an east-facing stairway.
- Building 6 is a small, rectangular platform with an east-facing stairway.
- Building 7 is a small, low, round platform with an east-facing stairway. It was a special place for Ehecatl, the Aztec god of wind, who was a form of Quetzalcoatl. Inside this platform, a hidden room was found. It was full of offerings like pottery and human skulls, likely from sacrificed people.
- Building 8 is a very small, rectangular platform with an east-facing stairway.
- Building 9 is another low, round platform. It was also a shrine to Ehecatl, a little bigger than Building 7.
- Building 10 is a long, rectangular platform that runs from east to west. It's located behind buildings 3 to 6. It has two stairways facing east and one facing west. It seems to have been made bigger several times over the years.
- Building 12 is a large platform next to the Great Platform, directly to its north. It has three stairways facing west.
- Temple of Tezcatlipoca or Building 13 is right behind (to the east of) the Great Platform. Its lower part had two stairways facing the Great Platform. The upper part has one wide stairway. This building was badly damaged by a cannonball during the Mexican Revolution and also by people who dug for treasure.
- Platform 15 was dug up in 1997. It's at the southern edge of the site. It was a large platform but is not well preserved. Underneath it, archaeologists found the remains of a house. The people who lived there made dyes, as shown by the fire pits, tools, and traces of iron-based colors. This house was taken down to build the platform on top of it. Only the foundations remain, which also held human burials.
The Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (National Institute of Anthropology and History) takes care of Teopanzolco. You can visit it today!
Images for kids
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View of the Great Platform, which once supported the twin temples of Tlaloc and Huitzilopochtli
See also
In Spanish: Teopanzolco para niños
