El Chanal
Encyclopedia
| Archaeological Site in Colima | ||
| Name: | El Chanal Archaeological Site | |
| Type | Archaeology Archaeology Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes... |
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| Location | City of Colima Colima, Colima Colima is capital of the state of the same name, a city and municipality located in the center west of Mexico. It is located near the Colima Volcano, which divides the small state from that of Jalisco. Despite being the capital, the city is not the state’s main tourist attraction, eclipsed by... , Colima Colima Colima is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It shares its name with its capital and main city, Colima.... , México Mexico The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of... |
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| Region | Mesoamerica Mesoamerica Mesoamerica is a region and culture area in the Americas, extending approximately from central Mexico to Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, within which a number of pre-Columbian societies flourished before the Spanish colonization of the Americas in the 15th and... |
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| Coordinates | 19°17′34"N 103°42′20"W | |
| Culture | Unknown | |
| Chronology | 1100 - 1400 CE. Maximum splendor. | |
| Period | Mesoamerican Postclassical | |
| INAH Web Page | El Chanal archaeological site | |
El Chanal is an archaeological site
Archaeological site
An archaeological site is a place in which evidence of past activity is preserved , and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology and represents a part of the archaeological record.Beyond this, the definition and geographical extent of a 'site' can vary widely,...
located at El Chanal town, 4 kilometers north of the City of Colima
Colima, Colima
Colima is capital of the state of the same name, a city and municipality located in the center west of Mexico. It is located near the Colima Volcano, which divides the small state from that of Jalisco. Despite being the capital, the city is not the state’s main tourist attraction, eclipsed by...
, in the state of Colima
Colima
Colima is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It shares its name with its capital and main city, Colima....
, according to information available, its maximum splendor was achieved between 1100 and 1400 CE. Based on its extension, over 50 hectares, it is probable it was the largest settlement of the Colima
Colima
Colima is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It shares its name with its capital and main city, Colima....
state; it developed in both banks of the “Río Verde” or Río Colima.
However there is information that the area could have been inhabited by native groups around 1300 BC.
El Chanal constitutes an extremely important phenomenon. It’s almost urban characteristics and doubtless social organization allowed its development and splendor, as can be observed from this little explored area. The identity of their inhabitants is still uncertain. There is, however, a certain Nahuatl connection because of the evidence seen on archaeological materials, representing deities such as Tláloc
Tlaloc
Tlaloc was an important deity in Aztec religion, a god of rain, fertility, and water. He was a beneficent god who gave life and sustenance, but he was also feared for his ability to send hail, thunder and lightning, and for being the lord of the powerful element of water. In Aztec iconography he...
and Ehécatl
Ehecatl
Ehecatl is a pre-Columbian deity associated with the wind, who features in Aztec mythology and the mythologies of other cultures from the central Mexico region of Mesoamerica. He is most usually interpreted as the aspect of the Feathered Serpent deity as a god of wind, and is therefore also known...
.
Architectonically, the Chanal used the double temple concept, palaces with portals, ceremonial spaces with Mesoamerican ballgame, sidewalk-altar and altar-platform. Ceramics found indicates the massive use of braziers and “sahumerios” (used to burn Copal resin), associated with ceremonial rituals.
Some polychromatic images recreate divine attributes, observed in stone reliefs which have made this site somewhat famous.
Obviously there are many unknowns about the solemnity and majesty that surround the ceremonial spaces. About the daily life in neighborhoods and community spaces, and all events that built this great city. A scientific investigation and formal exploration of this important site is indeed needed.
The name
The name of the site is related to imaginary beings known as "chanos" that inhabited water streams. From the many TlalocTlaloc
Tlaloc was an important deity in Aztec religion, a god of rain, fertility, and water. He was a beneficent god who gave life and sustenance, but he was also feared for his ability to send hail, thunder and lightning, and for being the lord of the powerful element of water. In Aztec iconography he...
(rain god) representations in the region, it is likely that the El Chanal, was a remembrance of the myths probably associated with Tlaloc worship.
There is a version that relates El Chanal with “Place inhabited by water custodians”.
In the Mexican State of Chiapas, is a municipality with the same name, according to the municipalities encyclopedia of Mexico, the “Chanal” name means "wise man that teaches".
Origins
The ethnic background of the site inhabitants has yet to be determined; ceramic materials found are not easily associated with the Colima ceramic tradition.It is considered that site had artisan groups that knew metallurgical techniques. The presence of metal associated with plumbate vessels, used obsidian, manufactured clay sculptures with figures of “Xantiles” and Xipe Totec
Xipe Totec
In Aztec mythology and religion, Xipe Totec was a life-death-rebirth deity, god of agriculture, vegetation, the east, disease, spring, goldsmiths, silversmiths and the seasons. Xipe Totec was also known by the alternative names Tlatlauhca, Tlatlauhqui Tezcatlipoca and Youalahuan...
seem an indication that El Chanal was inhabited by a group, somehow related with Tula
Tula
Tula may refer to:In geography:*Tula, Hidalgo, a town in Mexico, once the capital and sacred city of the Toltec people.*Tula, Tamaulipas, a place in the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico*Tula River in central Mexico...
.
Unfortunately, the Colima prehispanic ceramic was subject of theft and illegal trade, some pieces are in museums abroad.
The site
The site has ceremonial spaces, plazas, central altars, and ballgame courts. In 1945 the site was explored by archaeologist Vladimiro Rosado Ojeda, who discovered a pyramid with remains of a stairway and bas-relief engraved steps. The motifs had 36 tablets (Nine per step) that displayed Gods images such as TlalocTlaloc
Tlaloc was an important deity in Aztec religion, a god of rain, fertility, and water. He was a beneficent god who gave life and sustenance, but he was also feared for his ability to send hail, thunder and lightning, and for being the lord of the powerful element of water. In Aztec iconography he...
and Ehécatl
Ehecatl
Ehecatl is a pre-Columbian deity associated with the wind, who features in Aztec mythology and the mythologies of other cultures from the central Mexico region of Mesoamerica. He is most usually interpreted as the aspect of the Feathered Serpent deity as a god of wind, and is therefore also known...
. Among the structures are the Ossuary, the Pyramid and the Great Platform
The north-south slope that characterizes the Colima valley was advantageously used by the Chanal constructors; the town was arranged following its contour.
The pyramidal structures were built using rounded stone from nearby rivers beds. Some of the stones have petroglyphs with animal figures, plants and possible deities.
El Chanal has six plazas or important ceremonial centers:
Altars Plaza
Include two altars, one of rectangular shape, very deteriorated and other is circular, where several burials were found.Ballgame court
Located south of the “Plaza del Tiempo”, separated by a corridor, measures 38 by 13.5 meters.The presence of a Mesoamerican ballgame
Mesoamerican ballgame
The Mesoamerican ballgame or Tlatchtli in Náhuatl was a sport with ritual associations played since 1,000 B.C. by the pre-Columbian peoples of Ancient Mexico and Central America...
court in the south of the archaeological site as part of ceremonial spaces is evidence of the strong religious life of the site. The cosmic sense of the town allowed battles by deities to culminate at the court, that fought day after day and allowed the reign of day and night and, hence the construction of the “Time Plaza”, include in the northeast the “Day and Night” Plaza and the “Water Plaza” at the northwest. The game deity was Xolotl
Xolotl
In Aztec mythology, Xolotl was the god with associations to both lightning and death.Although often depicted in relation to the underworld, Xolotl was not a psychopomp in the Western sense. Xolotl did, however, aid the dead on their journey to Mictlan, the afterlife in some myths.Xolotl was also...
that accompanied the sun in its passage through the underworld and announced its success over darkness by means of Venus, the morning star. The game rules, played by men, featured, a fundamental character for the world future. It is very probable that human sacrifice contemplated the magic that allowed supporting the fight of the light against the darkness.
Plaza del Día y la Noche
“Day and Night Plaza” Represents a large open space 60 by 80 meters, delimited to the south by a retaining wall; to the west is structure 2 and to the east is structure1.The acute El Chanal settler’s religiosity is evident in the magnificent ritual and ceremonial spaces. There are two essential elements: The temples, represented by these native groups of western Mexico, are the home of gods on earth; and the plazas, as congregation spaces for the faithful masses. Some temples had public functions and were accessed by ample entrances. Others, however, had restricted entrances to which only the religious and civil authorities could enter. A way to describe and learn what their use was is by observing the type of materials used associated with the temples. In relation to the ample platform, it had on top two wooden rooms with roofs made of perishable materials, it is possible they used “sahumerios” and small incense dispensers. It is therefore probable, that the place was visited with the purpose of burning incense such as Copal
Copal
Copal is a name given to tree resin that is particularly identified with the aromatic resins used by the cultures of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica as ceremonially burned incense and other purposes...
, and render individual and simple tributes to the Gods.