Tepetlaoztoc
Encyclopedia
Tepetlaoztoc or Tepetlaoxtoc (Nahuatl
for "tepetate
-cave place") is an archaeological site
located in the Central Mexico plateau region of Mesoamerica
, which was formerly an Aztec
/Nahua settlement during the Late Postclassic period of Mesoamerican chronology
, with an occupancy continuing through the Colonial period. The site is situated in the Valley of Mexico
, to the northeast of Texcoco.
In the 1970s the area was relatively undeveloped, and one could, on aerial photographs, still discern the 16th century field lines and irrigation system drawn in the Codex of Santa Maria Asuncion (manuscript in the Biblioteca Nacional) and the Codex Vergara. Likewise one could locate many of the aldeas that were tributary to Tepetlaoztoc, and still find the wall bases of their houses. By the time of Sander's work in the 1990s, development had largely destroyed these remnants.
Nahuatl
Nahuatl is thought to mean "a good, clear sound" This language name has several spellings, among them náhuatl , Naoatl, Nauatl, Nahuatl, Nawatl. In a back formation from the name of the language, the ethnic group of Nahuatl speakers are called Nahua...
for "tepetate
Tepetate
Tepetate is a Mexican term for a kind of brittle volcanic rock. Tepetate can be converted into arable land through pulverization.-References:...
-cave place") 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 in the Central Mexico plateau region of 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...
, which was formerly an Aztec
Aztec
The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
/Nahua settlement during the Late Postclassic period of Mesoamerican chronology
Mesoamerican chronology
Mesoamerican chronology divides the history of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica into several periods: the Paleo-Indian , the Archaic , the Preclassic , the Classic , and the Postclassic...
, with an occupancy continuing through the Colonial period. The site is situated in the Valley of Mexico
Valley of Mexico
The Valley of Mexico is a highlands plateau in central Mexico roughly coterminous with the present-day Distrito Federal and the eastern half of the State of Mexico. Surrounded by mountains and volcanoes, the Valley of Mexico was a centre for several pre-Columbian civilizations, including...
, to the northeast of Texcoco.
In the 1970s the area was relatively undeveloped, and one could, on aerial photographs, still discern the 16th century field lines and irrigation system drawn in the Codex of Santa Maria Asuncion (manuscript in the Biblioteca Nacional) and the Codex Vergara. Likewise one could locate many of the aldeas that were tributary to Tepetlaoztoc, and still find the wall bases of their houses. By the time of Sander's work in the 1990s, development had largely destroyed these remnants.