152:. The site's settlement largely consisted of residential compounds characterized by four structures arranged around a shared courtyard or plaza. The structures themselves were made of perishable materials built over stone basal foundations. Imported shell and obsidian artifacts, as well as Olmec-influenced ceramic wares, have been found in association with and inside the residential groups. These artifacts provide material evidence that the Teopantecuanitlan community was a part of an interregional trade network that linked the Gulf Coast with the highlands of Central Mexico.
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211:. One miniature ball court is located within the Sunken Patio itself while the other lies 900 m to the northeast. At one end of the smaller ball court there is an adobe sweat bath. This sweat bath was most likely used as a social bonding environment for the developing elite class of Teopantecuanitlan.
292:
The state of
Guerrero seems to have played important role in the early history of Olmec culture. Olmec-style artifacts tend to appear earlier in some parts of Guerrero than in the Veracruz-Tabasco area. In particular, the objects from the Amuco-Abelino site in Guerrero reveal dates as early as 1530
230:
Teopantecuanitlan is also home to the oldest known
Mesoamerican dam. This dam was constructed around 1200 BCE and built of rough uncut rocks. This dam relied on gravity to bring water to the agricultural land. Canals, or channels, made of large flat stone slabs are also present in
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Teopantecuanitlan society was not egalitarian — otherwise such monumental structures would not have been built. There was a leader in place to oversee the building of these structures as well as instruct the laborers and ensure that all the necessary resources were available.
181:("the enclosure"), also known as the Sunken Patio, constructed during Phase II (between 1000 and 800 BCE). The Sunken Patio is so-named because it is 2 meters (7 ft) below the natural ground level, built on a base of yellow clay, dressed with
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Olmec influence is seen in many of the monuments of
Teopantecuanitlan. In addition to the four prominent monuments discussed above, Olmec style or Olmec-influenced artifacts have been found throughout the site.
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for "place of the temple of the jaguar". According to
Martinez Donjuán, these sculptures are situated so as to mark the equinoxes or solstices, and they "symbolized the opposing forces that ruled the world".
231:
Teopantecuanitlan. The lining of these canals were of benefit to the domestication of plants by being a means of irrigation. These canals prevented erosion damage, loss of water also acted as a sewer.
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In addition to the residential areas, Teopantecuanitlan is notable for its monumental architecture, art, and agricultural terraces, in particular one of the first civil-ceremonial structures in all of
192:, with almond-shaped eyes and down-turned mouths. In fact, it is these 3- to 5-ton monuments that are referred to in archaeologist Guadalupe Martinez Donjuán's name for the site, Teopantecuanitlan,
402:
Martinez Donjuán differentiates the four monuments into two pairs, with either a feline or a bird beak "orifice" (Martinez Donjuán (2000), p. 200). Other researchers do not make this distinction.
285:. Martinez Donjuán believes that the roots of the Olmec culture lie in Teopantecuanitlan, and a splinter group left Teopantecuanitlan to colonize what we call the Olmec "heartland". a revival of
113:, providing an environment for trade and travel. Teopantecuanitlan occupies some 1.6 to 2 km (500 acres), and is situated at the foot of a sharp hill which rises 200 m above the site.
188:
Four large, nearly identical, monumental travertine blocks adorn the east and west sides of the Sunken Patio. These blocks are carved to resemble anthropomorphic creatures, most likely
238:. This vault allowed for high ceilings without the use of trapezoidal cut stone. These corbelled vaults were used in ancient structures such as the tombs of the elite and in temples.
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The back of one of these monuments, Monument 2, contains symbols which
Martinez Donjuán interprets as "10 Flower". If this interpretation is correct, this would be the oldest
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To the north of the Sunken Patio, clay sculptures were found. These were the oldest sculptures on the site. Some similarities are found between them and the monuments at
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There are several theories regarding how such Olmec motifs and designs — perhaps even deities — came to be at a site hundreds of miles/kilometers from the
222:. These are the only two sites known with these features. The sunken patio of Teopantecuanitlan is older. There are also other parallels between these sites.
81:. Prior to the discovery of Teopantecuanitlan in the early 1980s, little was known about the region's sociocultural development and organization during the
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Due to its size and placement, Martinez Donjuán considers this to be a symbolic, rather than an actual, ballcourt (Martinez Donjuán (2000), p. 200).
577:
644:
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In Benson, Elizabeth P. (ed), The Olmec and their neighbors. Essays in honor of
Matthew W. Stirling, pp. 195-208, Washington, D.C.
148:, a period which is generally divided into four phases, peaking in population and complexity during Phase II, between 1000 and 800
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has said that this "position is contradicted by the environmental constraints" imposed by the semi-arid
Guerrero highlands.
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Periods, with the archaeological evidence indicating that some kind of connection existed between
Teopantecuanitlan and the
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finds Olmec influence only in the monumental architecture, with the rest of the culture derived from indigenous sources.
258:. Niederberger focused in particular on the residential areas known as the Lomerios zone, or as Tlacozotitlán.
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The
Teopantecuanitlan site is open to the public Tuesdays through Sundays from 10:00 to 17:00 hours.
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This site is also the first known within
Mesoamerica to utilize the architectural feature known as a
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Stone-faced patios and bas-relief monumental art are the features that are also found at the site of
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The Place of Stone Monuments: Context, Use, and Meaning in Mesoamerica's Preclassic Transition.
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Teopantecuanitlan was discovered by Martinez Donjuán in 1983, after reports of looting at this
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101:. The nearest village is Tlalcozotitlan. It is situated at the convergence of the
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Teopantecuanitlan in relation to other Formative Period archaeological sites.
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Reilly, F. K., (2000), "Tlacozotitlán (Guerrero, Mexico)" in Evans, Susan,
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rivers, and five miles (8 km) from where the Amacuzac flows into the
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Ancient Mexico & Central America: Archaeology and Cultural History
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One of the four massive Olmec-style monoliths that greet visitors to
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Archaeology of Ancient Mexico and Central America: An Encyclopedia.
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Archaeology of Ancient Mexico and Central America: An Encyclopedia.
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589:, with a brief description of the architecture of the Olmec.
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Martinez Donjuan, Guadalupe (1986), "Teopantecuanitlan", in
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Martinez Donjuan, Guadalupe (2000), "Teopantecuanitlan", in
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The Cambridge History of the Native Peoples of the Americas.
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Teopantecuanitlan was a center for a region that included
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site. She was assisted in this effort by, among others,
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type artifacts were found in the Teopantecuanitlan area.
564:Arqueologia y Etnohistoria del Estado de Guerrero
550:"A Survey of Teopantecuanitlán, Guerrero, Mexico"
543:Archaeology of Ancient Mexico and Central America
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557:The Oxford Encyclopedia of Mesoamerican Cultures
144:Teopantecuanitlan was occupied from 1400 to 500
559:, Carraso, David, ed., Oxford University Press.
578:National Institute of Anthropology and History
93:Teopantecuanitlan is located in the state of
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475:Susan Toby Evans, David L. Webster, eds,
347:Susan Toby Evans, David L. Webster, eds,
289:'s hypothesis, first formulated in 1946.
529:The Olmecs: America's First Civilization
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524:, 4th edition, Thames & Hudson, NY.
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65:for the region. The site dates to the
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57:that represents an unexpectedly early
522:Mexico: From the Olmecs to the Aztecs
370:Julia Guernsey, John E. Clark, eds.,
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645:Former populated places in Mexico
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635:Archaeological sites in Guerrero
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207:This site also contains two
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531:, Thames & Hudson, NY.
582:Teopantecuanitlan website
534:Evans, Susan Toby (2004)
527:Diehl, Richard A. (2004)
320:Martinez Donjuan, p. 200.
165:, dated to 1200-1100 BC.
246:Discovery and excavation
545:, Taylor & Francis.
455:Guerrero and the Olmec.
420:Bruce G. Trigger, ed.,
338:Reilly (2000), p. 756.
329:Reilly (2000), p. 756.
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256:Christine Niederberger
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611:17.90167°N 99.11056°W
520:Coe, Michael (1994),
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204:date yet discovered.
202:Mesoamerican calendar
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163:Ojo de Agua, Chiapas
140:Art and architecture
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507:Diehl, p. 169-170.
443:Diehl, p. 169-170,
287:Miguel Covarrubias
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175:Mesoamerica
122:Juxtlahuaca
61:of complex
59:development
629:Categories
602:99°06′38″W
599:17°54′06″N
515:References
487:1136801855
464:0884020983
432:0521351650
382:0884023648
359:1136801855
209:ballcourts
183:travertine
179:El Recinto
118:Oxtotitlán
79:Gulf Coast
33:El Recinto
308:Footnotes
126:Xochipala
99:Copalillo
580:(INAH)
252:Guerrero
185:blocks.
103:Amacuzac
95:Guerrero
89:Location
55:Guerrero
220:Morelos
194:Nahuatl
63:society
48:Mexican
46:in the
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132:, and
107:Balsas
42:is an
75:Olmec
67:Early
51:state
576:The
489:p315
483:ISBN
466:p196
460:ISBN
434:p146
428:ISBN
378:ISBN
361:p319
355:ISBN
293:BC.
105:and
384:p60
150:BCE
146:BCE
69:to
53:of
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