COATETELCO

At the end of the pleistocene, in this zone of the now state of Morelos as well as in the Mexico basin lived people whose diet was based in plant gathering, animal hunting and fishing, living in rocky shelters. That first stage of human occupation dates back to 25,000 years ago. For the Early Preclassic period, the human dwellings were small villages with less than 100 inhabitants. Those with plough able areas were placed near the rivers. The ceramic produced was similar to that of the Mexico Basin and the first clay figurines were also made. In the Medium Preclassic period (900-500 B.C.) the villages were concentrated on the banks of the Chalma River, and the inhabitants practiced farming. Then the ceramic had strong local features, different from others, although there was some similar to that of the Mexico Basin. The peak of Coatetelco took place in the Late Preclassic period (500-150 B.C.) At that time the communities had 250 to 500 inhabitants. It can be affirmed, by the excavations in the zone, that there has been human occupation since the epoch of the Teotihuacan influence (450-600 A.C.) even when the remaining constructions correspond to the Late Post classic (1350-1521) mainly in the Mexica epoch. Thanks to the excavations, it was learned that the buildings had four construction stages. 

Ball Game Western Platform. In its rear part is the Ball Game Court of the place. The construction has three bodies fairly destroyed, and two flights of steps leading to the upper part; there are what remains of stucco floors and two "boxes" flanked by stones. 

Ball Game Court. It is one of the smallest in its class. The presence of this construction is decisive to consider the place as a ceremonial center. The game had a religious meaning, as well as recreational and politic purposes. It has a closed top and is North - South oriented. The court still has traces of the stucco.  The ruins of a tzompantli (spot to place sacrificial skulls) with a great amount of stone "nails" used to run through the skulls, were found joined to the court. 

Ball Game East Platform. It shows several semidetached buildings that possibly were worshipping places. Its importance as a ceremonial site was confirmed with the findings of collective and individual burial places. Tombs and different kinds of offerings were found in the ruins of the worshipping places and their flights of steps.  

Basament with Incense Lamp Offerings. It is a worshipping place named this way due to a stone sculpture representing a female character and some clay incense lamps were found during the excavations. The form of these is easily identified in the Mendocine Codex; they resemble big ladles of long handles.  Extension Platform. It is an extension of the Ball Game Body and the Circular Basament. It has a circular design and it is almost sure that it was dedicated to Ehacatl, the wond God. Xipe-Totec Plataform. It is the last of the semidetached basaments. It was given this name because in it was found a stone sculpture of this deity. This is supported in the association to the circular worshipping place and was found in the rubble of the XVI Centuy chapel of a stone called temalacatl. This is a sacrificial stone that in the Mexica religion was related with Xipe-Totec. The figure was fragmented (it lacked the head and the feet). It is believed that the fracture was due to the objetive of the Spanish to "kill" the prehispanic deities. 

Basament with double flight of steps. Architectonically it is similar to the Mexicas, and it still has traces of stucco. In its rear part can be appreciated ruins of an older construction. 

Main Temple or Temple of Cuauhtlitzin. It is called Main Temple because it is the highest structure of the place. A wide flight of steps goes to the upper part; the temple was there. The bodies of the pyramidal basament are built in slope and stucco covered. During the exploration a feminine stone sculpture that has been named Cuauhtlitzin was found. The above mentioned feminine sculpture corresponds to a head that was placed by the villagers at the height of the first body of the platform, inside a vault of stones carved and placed specifically to hide it.