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Zazacatla

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Zazacatla, nearby Formative Era sites, and the Olmec heartland. 
Zazacatla, nearby Formative Era sites, and the Olmec heartland.

Zazacatla is a pre-Columbian archaeological site of Mesoamerica's
central Mexican plateau region, dating to the mid-Formative period of
Mesoamerican chronology. The site was first excavated in 2006
underneath a modern commercial and housing development site, some 13
km (8.1 mi) south of Cuernavaca, capital of the Mexican state of
Morelos, and 40 km (25 mi) south of Mexico City. Initial
investigations by archaeologists from Mexico's National Institute of
Anthropology and History (INAH) reported finding evidence of Olmec
cultural influences at the site, the first such known for the western
Morelos region.^[1]

Contents

* 1 Site description
* 2 Notes
* 3 References
* 4 See also
* 5 External links

[edit] Site description

A fraction of Zazacatla's ceremonial center has been investigated,
amounting to some 9,000 m² (approx. 2.2 acres) of excavations.^[2] The
total area of the site is estimated to occupy some 2.5 km², or
slightly less than one square mile.^[3]

Zazacatla's occupation is dated to between 800--500 BCE, making it
roughly contemporary with the Olmec center of La Venta, 400 km
(250 mi) to the east. Several sculptures of what appear to be
Olmec-style "priests" have been uncovered. These sculptures, as well
as Olmec-style architecture, have led to speculation on the role that
Olmec culture played in Zazacatla.

Archaeologist Giselle Canto told Associate Press that the inhabitants
adopted Olmec styles when they changed from a simpler egalitarian
society to a more complex hierarchical one:
" When their society became stratified, the new rulers needed emblems
... to justify their rule over people who used to be their equals.^[4]
"

Canto believes that the inhabitants may not have been ethnically
Olmec.

In January 2007 the governor of Morelos, Marco Adame Castillo,
announced an offer for the state to underwrite the preservation of the
site and to incorporate it into the tourism and cultural heritage
plans for Morelos. He foreshadowed that a tourism project would be
initiated at the site's location once the archaeological
investigations had further developed.^[5]

[edit] Notes

1. ^ Lovgren (2007), p.2.
2. ^ Confirma hallazgo arqueológico influencia olmeca en Zazacatla,
2007
3. ^ Lovgren (2007), p.2; Stevenson (2007).
4. ^ Quoted by Stevenson (2007).
5. ^ García (2007).

[edit] References

"Confirma hallazgo arqueológico influencia olmeca en
Zazacatla", El Sol de México, Organizacíon Editorial Mexicana,
2007-02-01. Retrieved on 2007-02-09.  (Spanish)
García, Miguel Ángel. "Posible, nuevo plan arqueológico en
Xochitepec", La Jornada Morelos, Editora de Medios de Morelos,
2007-01-26. Retrieved on 2007-02-09.  (Spanish)
Lovgren, Stefan. "Ancient City Found in Mexico; Shows Olmec
Influence", National Geographic News, National Geographic
Society, 2007-01-26. Retrieved on 2007-02-08.
Pérez de Lara, Jorge (2007). Olmec Discovery at Zazacatla.
Mesoweb Reports and News. Mesoweb. Retrieved on 2007-02-19.
Stevenson, Mark. "Olmec-influenced city found in Mexico" (PDF),
Associated Press, 2007-01-25. Retrieved on 2007-02-08.

[edit] See also

* Olmec influences on Mesoamerican cultures
* Tlatilco
* Tlapacoya

[edit] External links

* Olmec-Style Effigies from Zazacatla, photographs by Jorge Pérez de
Lara, reproduced at Mesoweb
* Photo of the Olmec-style sculptures -- note the downturned mouths.

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zazacatla"
Categories: Archaeological sites in Mexico | Mesoamerican sites |
Olmec sites