Get to know Xochicalco Archaeological Site

Declared a World Heritage Site, the archaeological zone of Xochicalco was an ancient ceremonial center and fortified city that had its heyday between 650 and 900 AD, right between the fall of Teotihuacan and the rise of Tula.

 

On the hills that form the archeological site, two great basements stand out. The first is known as the Piramide de la Serpiente Emplumada (Feathered Serpent Pyramid), decorated with profuse high reliefs on its sides. There are eight snakes that symbolize the god Quetzalcoatl, accompanied by snails and calendar glyphs. The second pyramid is called Gemelos (Twins), because of its similarity with the first one in shape and size, but without decorative elements. It shows some remains of mural painting.

 

Accompanying these bases there is also a ball game, residential rooms and a set of temazcals. Another main construction is the astronomical observatory, raised on the ceiling of a grotto to study the stars and measure the passage of the sun. The space is frequented during the spring equinox, to see how the light of the sun slips through a chimney of the cavern, illuminating the interior and forming a hexagon.

 

The archaeological zone of Xochicalco is located 32 minutes from Tequesquitengo, on the federal highway Xochicalco-Tetlama.