Teopanzolco 

Teopanzolco is a Nahuatl word which means "The place of the old Temple". Like many other archaeological sites in Mexico, Teopanzolco has been absorbed by the growth of the City. The monumental center was located on top of a hill that was formed by the lava that was scattered in the volcanic explosion that closed the south of the Mexican valley. It is thought that the site was once covered with trees, and that in the outskirts water currents abounded. Today part of the area has been divided by a large fence, as if it were one more piece of land of the county it belongs to. 

Sedentary groups settled in the valley of Morelos since the year 2,000 B.C., the evolution of these was similar to the other inhabitants of the central plateau. In the beginning of the Classic period (1 to 900 AD) there was a regional development in which the Teotihuacan culture played an important role. The Early Post classic Era (900 to 1200 AD) was characterized by the presence of cultural manifestations which were unique to the regions of Mesoamerica. In the late Post classic era the dominant groups in the Altiplano were of Nahuatl origin, the Tlahuicas founded the lordship of Cuauhnahuac, which developed a unique and authentic culture, although similar to that of the neighboring groups, such as the Matlatzincas of the valley of Toluca who were conquered by the Mexicas.

 Moctezuma Ilhuicamina attacked this vast region which at that time was mainly producer of cotton. During the first year of the colony the lordship of Cuauhnahuac formed part of the Valley marquee, which extended from Morelos to Oaxaca. The territories of this marquee belonged to Hernan Cortez who introduced the plantation of sugarcane and its industrialization through the first windmill, located in Tlaltenango, north of what today is the city of Cuernavaca. 

Even though there is still a ceremonial center, little is known about the living quarters and the extension of the city. This is because the majority of the archaeological ruins have disappeared due to the construction of buildings and roads, and are now underground. The buildings are made with the basaltic rock of the place, the stones which form the corners and part of the stairs are carved, the rest is used with mud made of lime. But experts believe all the buildings were painted, as were buildings in other archaeological sites. 

There is an ample rectangular plaza in front of building No. 1. To the south one can find building No. 2, to the north of building 1, is building No. 12 and in the rear part of building 1, on the east side of the site, are buildings 13 and 14. The extreme west is bounded by the other buildings, and in the north part there are no constructions. 

Building No.1 was without a doubt the main building. It has a great pyramidal base in a rectangular shape, and it has two stages of construction which overlap. Both are practically the same in its elements. The main facade faces the west side. In it one can find the double stairs, both with wooden beams which are practically vertical as they have to reach the height of the basement. The one in the center is wider than those on the ends. Each one provides access to the corresponding temple. This style of basement with double stairs and twin temples in the superior part has a mexica origin. 

The northern temple is dedicated to Tlaloc, God of rain or celestial water, and the southern water is dedicated to Huitzilopochtli, god of war, who is represented as the "Colibri del Sur" (Hummingbird of the South). The temple of Tlaloc is simple. It has one single enclosure with four pilasters in the extremes, as if these supports worked to sustain the cover which has the largest area of the temple. 

The one which is dedicated to Huitzilopochtlis is the main one and is divided in two sections, the one in the end conserved the remains of an altar. This type of construction is similar to the ones existing in the Templo Mayor of Mexico-Teotihuacan, and in Tlatelolco, in Mexico city; also the ones in Tenayuca and in the last stage of Santa Cecilia Acatitla in the State of Mexico. Of the last period of this building, only a basement is conserved; meanwhile from the one before it we can appreciate the basement and the walls of both temples. The space which exists today between one basement and the other is an archaeological resource to demonstrate the different stages of construction, given that in old Mexico it was common to overlap the buildings.

Buildings 2, 3 and 5. Building 2 is a low platform, of an irregular plant, which presents in its north facade an ample staircase with wooden beams. Buildings 3 and 5 are square plant basements with staircases and wooden beams on their east facade. Among these two constructions one can find a rectangular with a stairway without wooden beams. A large collection of human bones were found in this building and with them there were many obsidian blades which were probably used with weapons. Investigators have concluded that this type of sacrifice was very common in Mesoamerica. It is worth mentioning that the cultural materials which were recovered in Teopanzolco reveal the coexistence of two groups: the Tlahuicas, original inhabitants of the site, and the Mexicas, conquerors of the lordship. The most abundant ceramic and the architectonic style are both associated with the Mexicas. 

Building 6. It has a basement of reduced proportions, with inclined walls, it has a stairway with wooden beams in the east facade. 

Buildings 7 and 9 Are particularly interesting. They have circular basements, of little height, with stairways and wooden beams. This type of building, common in many regions of Mesoamerica, has a long tradition and is associated with Ehecatl, Wind God.

Buildings 8, 10, 11, and 14  Building 8 has a very small basement with stairways and wooden beams. Building 10 is a rectangular platform with three stairwells, two in its east facade and one the west. This building seems to be product of many construction stages. 

There are few remains of buildings 11 and 14. Building 12. Is important due to its position and dimensions. It is aligned to the north with building 1. Building 13. Located behind building 1, on the eastern side of the site; it also contains a double staircase in the first floor which becomes wider in the second. It has at least two stages of construction. This structure is associated with Tezcatlipoca, the "Espejo Humeante" (smoking mirror), counterpart of Quetzalcoatl. 

Teopanzolco can be visited Monday thru Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.