Yucuita
Encyclopedia
Yucuita is an archaeological site located in the Mixtec municipality of San Juan Yucuita
in the Mexican state of Oaxaca
. It was founded by the Mixtec civilization
in the pre-Classic Period
as a small village dedicated to agriculture
and obsidian
.
Because of its antiquity and its long-term continuous occupation (from the fourteenth century BCE
to the ninth century CE), Yucuita is one of the most studied Mixtec archaeological sites.
, Yucuita is some 86 km (53 mi) northeast of the city of Oaxaca
, the capital of the state.
Although the precolumbian Mixtecs were not characterized by monumental architecture, in Yucuita there are two architectonic complexes that have been the object of numerous investigations since the 1930s, when Esteban Avendaño explored the zone (1933). The most recent excavations at the site were in 1976-80 by the National Institute of Anthropology and History
(INAH).
One of these complexes was dedicated to the living quarters of the governing elite. It consists of a platform constructed on the slope of a hill. The platform supports the remains of living quarters set around a central patio. The second complex was a ceremonial center, of which only part of the platform and two long walls remain. One wall is 70 m long by 4 m high (230 ft by 13 ft). At right angles to it is another wall, 52 m (171 ft) long. On the northern side of the first wall is a narrow stairway leading to the top of the platform. Near the stairway is a narrow tunnel roughly 60 m (197 ft) in length, which served for drainage and as a passageway.
San Juan Yucuita
San Juan Yucuita is a town and municipality in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 75.27 km².It is part of the Nochixtlán District in the southeast of the Mixteca Region....
in the Mexican state of Oaxaca
Oaxaca
Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions...
. It was founded by the Mixtec civilization
Mixtec
The Mixtec are indigenous Mesoamerican peoples inhabiting the Mexican states of Oaxaca, Guerrero and Puebla in a region known as La Mixteca. The Mixtecan languages form an important branch of the Otomanguean language family....
in the pre-Classic Period
Formative stage
The Formative Stage or "Neo-Indian period" is an archaeological term describing a particular developmental level. This stage from 1000 BCE to 500 CE is the third of five stages defined by Gordon Willey and Philip Phillips' 1958 book Method and Theory in American Archaeology.Cultures of the...
as a small village dedicated to agriculture
Agriculture in Mesoamerica
Agriculture in Mesoamerica dates to the Archaic period of Mesoamerican chronology . During this period, many of the hunter gatherer micro-bands in the region began to cultivate wild plants...
and obsidian
Obsidian use in Mesoamerica
Obsidian is a naturally formed volcanic glass that was an important part of the material culture of Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. Obsidian was a highly integrated part of daily and ritual life, and its widespread and varied use may be a significant contributor to Mesoamerica's lack of metallurgy...
.
Because of its antiquity and its long-term continuous occupation (from the fourteenth century BCE
Common Era
Common Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
to the ninth century CE), Yucuita is one of the most studied Mixtec archaeological sites.
Description
Located in a small plain of Oaxaca's Sierra MixtecaSierra Mixteca
The Sierra Mixteca is a mountainous region located between the states of Puebla and Oaxaca in south-central Mexico, in the region known as La Mixteca....
, Yucuita is some 86 km (53 mi) northeast of the city of Oaxaca
Oaxaca, Oaxaca
The city and municipality of Oaxaca de Juárez, or simply Oaxaca, is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of the same name . It is located in the Centro District in the Central Valleys region of the state, in the foothills of the Sierra Madre at the base of the Cerro del Fortín...
, the capital of the state.
Although the precolumbian Mixtecs were not characterized by monumental architecture, in Yucuita there are two architectonic complexes that have been the object of numerous investigations since the 1930s, when Esteban Avendaño explored the zone (1933). The most recent excavations at the site were in 1976-80 by the National Institute of Anthropology and History
National Institute of Anthropology and History
The Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia is a Mexican federal government bureau established in 1939 to guarantee the research, preservation, protection, and promotion of the prehistoric, archaeological, anthropological, historical, and paleontological heritage of Mexico...
(INAH).
One of these complexes was dedicated to the living quarters of the governing elite. It consists of a platform constructed on the slope of a hill. The platform supports the remains of living quarters set around a central patio. The second complex was a ceremonial center, of which only part of the platform and two long walls remain. One wall is 70 m long by 4 m high (230 ft by 13 ft). At right angles to it is another wall, 52 m (171 ft) long. On the northern side of the first wall is a narrow stairway leading to the top of the platform. Near the stairway is a narrow tunnel roughly 60 m (197 ft) in length, which served for drainage and as a passageway.