Teuchitlán culture facts for kids
Western Mexico and the Teuchitlán culture
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| Period | Late Formative to the Classic Period |
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| Dates | 350 BCE to 450/500 CE |
| Major sites | Los Guachimontones, Tabachines, Huitzilapa |
The Teuchitlán culture was an ancient civilization that lived in West Mexico, specifically in the Tequila Valleys of Jalisco. They existed from about 350 BCE to 450/500 CE. This culture was one of many groups in West Mexico during that time. They were known for burying some of their dead in special underground tombs called shaft and chamber tombs.
Archaeologists have learned that West Mexico was home to many different cultures, not just one big one. The Teuchitlán culture is named after the town of Teuchitlán, where their largest site, Los Guachimontones, is located. This site is famous for its many large ceremonial buildings. Like many other ancient Mesoamerican cultures, the Teuchitlán people did not have a writing system. So, we don't know what they called themselves or what language they spoke.
The Teuchitlán people buried some of their dead in shaft and chamber tombs. These tombs were dug deep into the earth. Inside, they placed the deceased along with special items. These items included ceramic pots, figures made of clay, shell jewelry, conch shells, and even ancient paper.
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History of the Teuchitlán Culture
Archaeologists are still learning about how the Teuchitlán culture began and grew. We don't have many excavated sites from their early periods in the Tequila Valleys. However, other nearby ancient sites show that people in West Mexico used shaft and chamber tombs for a very long time.
During the later part of their history, the Tequila Valleys saw a big increase in people. This led to more buildings being constructed, both above and below ground. The underground structures, like the shaft and chamber tombs, are well-known. This is partly because people started digging them up in the 1800s to find valuable items. They often looked for hollow and solid ceramic figures that were placed in the tombs as gifts for the dead. These figures were then sold to art collectors and museums around the world. Famous artists like Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo collected these figures.
One of the most important features of the Teuchitlán culture is their unique circular temples, often called guachimontones. These buildings have several parts: a round base platform that forms a patio, a ring-shaped platform on top of the patio, an even number of square platforms on the ring, and a stepped altar in the center of the patio. Most guachimontones are found in the Tequila Valleys, but some examples have been found in other areas too.
At first, some researchers thought that the circular temples were built after the shaft tombs. They believed this showed a shift in power from the dead to the living. However, newer discoveries show that the largest guachimonton, Circle 1, was built very early, even before some of the grandest tombs.
More recently, another idea suggests that near Los Guachimontones, rules and traditions were very strong, and power was shared among important families. Farther away from Los Guachimontones, leaders of smaller communities might have had more control. This allowed them to build more impressive tombs for their own families rather than focusing on public buildings for everyone.
What Made the Teuchitlán Culture Special?
Shaft and Chamber Tombs
Shaft and chamber tombs were typically used for family members, perhaps from the same important lineage. Archaeologists believe these tombs show a wider Mesoamerican belief system. The chambers might have represented artificial caves, which were seen as dark, watery places underground, linked to the Underworld. Finding conch shells with the dead might support this idea.
Archaeologists have found some of the deepest and richest shaft and chamber tombs in West Mexico right in the Tequila Valleys. For example, at the site of El Arenal, one tomb shaft goes down 16 meters! At Huitzilapa, archaeologists found a tomb with two chambers, six individuals, and hundreds of artifacts. These items included ceramic figures, pots, stone tools, jade, quartz, shell jewelry, conch shells, and even the oldest ancient paper (called amate paper) in Mesoamerica, dating back to 73 CE. While other regions have more tombs, none are as grand or deep as those in the Tequila Valleys.
Guachimontones: Circular Temples
Guachimontones are the circular ceremonial buildings built by the Teuchitlán people. A typical guachimonton has four main parts:
- The patio: A large circular platform at the base.
- The banquette: A ring-shaped platform built on the patio.
- The altar: A stepped platform in the center of the patio.
- The platforms: An even number of square platforms (from four to sixteen) built on top of the banquette.
Experts have different ideas about what guachimontones meant to the Teuchitlán people. Some think they might be linked to the volador ceremony, a pole-flying ritual still practiced in Mexico today. Ancient clay models found in tombs sometimes show structures with a pole and a person on top, similar to this ceremony.
Another idea is that the altar in the center of a guachimonton might represent an artificial mountain. Mountains were very important in Mesoamerican beliefs. They were seen as homes for gods, sources of water, and places with caves leading to the underworld. So, the guachimontones, with their central altars, might have represented the earthly plane, while the underground tombs represented the underworld, connecting to a larger view of the universe.
One scholar suggested that a typical eight-platform guachimonton might represent eight-row maize, a type of corn that came from West Mexico. If you cut a corn cob in half, the kernels and core look a bit like a guachimonton. This link to corn could also be related to ceremonies about farming and new crops.
Another idea is that guachimontones were places for ancestor worship and big feasts. Clay models from tombs show these spaces as busy hubs for activities like weddings, food preparation, music, dancing, and even battles. The types of pottery found at some sites suggest that feasting was a very important activity there.
Teuchitlán Culture and Society
How They Were Governed
Researchers have suggested different ways the Teuchitlán culture might have been organized politically. The site of Los Guachimontones played a key role in all these ideas.
One idea is that they had a "segmentary state" system. This means there was a strong central area (the Tequila Valleys) and a wider surrounding area. In the central area, control was maintained through ceremonies and shared beliefs, rather than just by force. Los Guachimontones was likely at the top of this system, with smaller sites helping to manage the region.
Another idea suggests that the Teuchitlán culture was made up of several chiefdoms, each led by a chief from an important family or clan. Each ceremonial center in the Tequila Valleys might have been the site of a chiefdom. These chiefdoms would have worked together for defense but also traded and sometimes fought with each other. Chiefs gained power by trading for special goods like jade and shells. Their power wasn't absolute; it depended on agreement from the people. Holding large feasts was one way chiefs could gain more wealth and status.
A more recent idea proposes that Teuchitlán centers were ruled by groups of important families or clans working together. These groups would have shared power. Evidence from building construction suggests that different labor groups worked on the same structures, possibly showing friendly competition and a way to show off their status.
What They Ate
We don't have a lot of food remains from Teuchitlán sites because most excavations focused on other things. However, we can learn about their diet from other clues.
In nearby areas, ancient people relied heavily on the maguey plant. They roasted its leaves for food and used its fibers for thread. Maize (corn) and chili peppers were also very important crops. Other foods included guamúchil, plum, jocote, guaje, arrayán, sapote, and guava.
By looking at ancient ceramic models, some researchers believe that certain shapes of food depicted might represent tamales or ears of maize, fruits, cakes, or beans.
Modern studies, combining interviews with local people, art history, and archaeology, suggest that the ancient diet included many native plants. These included different types of maize, agave, squash, beans, and chili.
Teuchitlán Art
The most famous art from the Teuchitlán culture are their hollow and solid ceramic figures. Like other West Mexican cultures of their time, they created clay figures showing many different people. These figures wore various clothes and accessories and were shown in many poses and actions. Common styles found in the Tequila Valleys include Ameca-Etzatlan, San Juanto, and Tala styles. These figures often show warriors, ball players, important people, and individuals holding vessels.
Their ceramic pots came in many styles. A notable one is Oconahua Red-on-White, which has red geometric patterns on a white background. While most patterns are geometric, some rare examples show animals, especially snakes. The snake motif might be connected to wider Mesoamerican beliefs about the universe.
The Mesoamerican Ballgame
The ancient Mesoamerican ballgame has a long history in West Mexico, going back to 1500 BCE. At the site of El Opeño, archaeologists found ceramic figures in a tomb that seem to show people playing the ballgame. Eight figures, five men and three women, were found together, some with ballgame equipment.
Later, during the Teuchitlán culture period, ceramic figures continued to show ball players, often holding a ball. Some clay models from West Mexico even show multiple people playing the game, with spectators watching from the ball court walls. Some figures show warrior-ball players, which was a common link in other Mesoamerican cultures. Some skeletons found at Huitzilapa show injuries consistent with playing the ballgame.
Ball courts in the Tequila Valley usually have an I-shape. They have two long, narrow, parallel platforms that form the playing area, and two end platforms. Unlike other Mesoamerican ball courts, Teuchitlán courts have straight vertical sides, not sloping ones. These platforms are not very tall; for example, Ball Court 2 at Los Guachimontones is only 1.1 meters high. Ball courts are often connected to a guachimonton, with one of the guachimonton's platforms forming an end of the ball court. However, some ball courts, like Ball Court 2 at Los Guachimontones, stand alone.
Important Teuchitlán Sites
Los Guachimontones: The Main Center
Los Guachimontones is the largest Teuchitlán culture site in the Tequila Valleys. It's located in the hills north of Teuchitlán town. This site has the biggest guachimontones in the region and was a central place for the culture. People have known about the site since the late 1800s. Serious archaeological work and restoration began in 1999 and continued until 2010. Today, Los Guachimontones is the most visited archaeological site in Jalisco, Mexico.
Tabachines: A Cemetery Site
The site of Tabachines is in the Atamejac Valley, which is now part of Guadalajara. It was found in the 1970s when a highway was being built. Tabachines had an untouched cemetery of shaft and chamber tombs from the Teuchitlán period. It also had another cemetery from a later period. There were no buildings on the surface in the cemetery area.
Tabachines is important because it gave archaeologists a lot of information about shaft and chamber tombs. Even though these tombs were not as grand as some others, they contained many of the same types of items. This helped researchers understand the different types of pottery and figures, which helped them date other archaeological sites.
El Arenal: Deep Tombs
El Arenal was partly explored in the 1950s and 1960s. One monumental tomb there had a shaft that was an amazing 16 meters deep! At the bottom, two passages led to different chambers, and one of those led to a third chamber. Most of the tomb's contents had been taken by looters, but some skeletal remains were found. Photographs of items found nearby give us an idea of what was once in these tombs.
In the 1960s, archaeologists found several untouched tombs at El Arenal. Even though these were not as large as the monumental tomb, they provided important information about the items placed inside. A recreation of an El Arenal tomb can be seen at the Casa de la Cultura de Etzatlan in Jalisco. Tomb contents included hollow ceramic figures, jade beads, ceramic pots, skeletal fragments, stone tools, and shell jewelry.
Huitzilapa: A Rich Discovery
Huitzilapa is one of the most important Teuchitlán culture sites. It's where archaeologists found the first monumental, elaborate shaft tomb in the region that hadn't been completely looted. This tomb contained tens of thousands of artifacts spread across its two chambers. Amazing finds included conch shells decorated with a special technique, jade finger loops for spear throwers (atlatls), hollow ceramic figures, greenstone figures, and amate paper. The amate paper, found near one of the skeletons, dates to 73 CE, making it the oldest paper ever found in Mesoamerica!
Studies of the six skeletons in the tomb showed that five of them had similar spinal issues, suggesting they were closely related, likely a family. The sixth person, an older woman, did not share this issue and might have been the spouse of one of the others. The large number and high quality of the items in the tomb, and its location, suggest these individuals were important leaders or elites at Huitzilapa. This tomb shows that power and authority might have come from important families who had lived at the site for a long time.
San Sebastian: Untouched Insights
While the San Sebastian tomb was not monumental, it was one of the few untouched tombs excavated by archaeologists in the region. This allowed researchers to gather important information about the items found in shaft tombs, different types of pottery, and ceramic figures. This data, along with carbon dating, helped create an early timeline for the Tequila Valleys region.
The tomb contained the remains of nine individuals, along with stone tools, obsidian tools, bone and shell jewelry, a shell trumpet, ceramic pots, green stone, and ceramic figures. Interestingly, two ceramic figures were placed near the entrance of the tomb: a male figure on the east side and a female figure on the west side. This placement might be connected to wider Mesoamerican beliefs about the sun's journey. Male warriors were thought to accompany the sun as it rose in the east, while women who died in childbirth accompanied the sun from its highest point to where it set in the west.
See also
In Spanish: Tradición de Teuchitlán para niños
