Chalcatzingo

Chalcatzingo is in the state of Morelos and is the most ancient site that I have visited. Its apogee was during 700bce to 500bce and had a population between 500-1000 people. It was well positioned at a trade-route crossroads between Guerrero and the Basin of Mexico, Oaxaca and the Gulf lowlands. It does contain some civic-ceremonial architecture and iconography. The largest platform (or mound) contained burials found with jade ornaments. It is a beautiful site, surrounded by a few mountains and fertile plains. There was also a water source so its location was ideal for these ancient peoples. Chalcatzingo is famous for its stone carvings which were carved right into the mountain-side and cliffs. I was really excited to be able to finally go to Chalcatzingo and witness first-hand these amazing carvings and to see this very ancient site.

This is arguably the most famous rock art found at Chalcatzingo. Rock art is an important tradition of Mesoamerican cultures and was initiated during the Early Olmec Period (1200bce to 800bce). Known as "El Rey" or "The King", this iconography depicts a ruler of somekind (some have argued that the person is actually a female) that sits in a cave, another ancient Mesoamerican tradition; caves are symbols for entry and exit of the underworld and very important 'natural' openings to the underworld. Surrounding the central personage are symbols of fertility, rain, wind, scroll volutes, and three rain clouds (pictured below) that release the raindrops so necessary for the cultivation and consumption of maize (and squash and beans, the three main staples of the Mesoamerican diet-even to this day). These kind of petroglyphs, a design that has been pecked into the rock, are much more common than are pictographs or painted designs in Mesoamerica. I also included an image of a jaguar stomping on a human figure; again, this symbolizes the connection between sacrifice and fertility and the importance of the jaguar as a powerful and even mystical creature.

Chalcatzingo's setting is quite beautiful, considering that it is set between two mountains. This rather large tree (that my friend Javier is standing next to) interested me because it appeared to be supporting the entire mountain. I had to include another carving of a jaguar; obviously, the jaguar is very important to many Mesoamerican cultures and its veneration reaches far back in time for this area of the world. I also took a picture of one of the two sculpted mounds in the main plaza. I'm not sure what that last sculpture is; I think it could have been used for sacrifice but I'm not sure and we didn't have a guide to explain some of these things to us.

And here are some more images of Chalcatzingo and the surrounding area. I had to include the picture of this brightly-colored lizard creature. All of the lizards here at Chalcatzingo were extremely fast and kind of big; it reminded me of Charly, my friend Vicki's 4ft. iguana, but I still have some irrational fear of these reptiles. I also included a picture of the ball court and one of the 'monticulos' or mounds although it does look like a miniature pyramid. I got sunburned here because the sun is very strong and as you can observe, Chalcatzingo is surrounded by these open fertile plains. But I enjoyed coming to this ancient site (the most ancient that I have visited so far!).