Hill of the Star
Encyclopedia
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...
n 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 southeastern Central Mexico
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...
's 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...
, in the Iztapalapa
Iztapalapa
Iztapalapa is one of the Federal District of Mexico City’s 16 boroughs, located on the east side of the entity. The borough is named after and centered on the formerly independent municipality of Iztapalapa, which is officially called Iztapalapa de Cuitláhuac for disambiguation purposes...
delegación (borough
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
) of the Mexican Federal District at an elevation of 2460 meters (8070ft) above sea level, hence its Summit is 224 m over the Valley of Mexico level. At the southeast edge of what was the Great Texcoco Lake.
Historical sources establish that ancient inhabitants of the Mexican Plateau
Mexican Plateau
The Central Mexican Plateau, also known as the Mexican Altiplano or Altiplanicie Mexicana, is a large arid-to-semiarid plateau that occupies much of northern and central Mexico...
knew this place as Huizachtecatl. The site was very important since the “New Fire” ritual ceremony was performed here; it had a profound meaning for the population here and in surrounding regions.
Occupation stages
The oldest traces of human occupation in the Iztapalapa territory originated at Santa María Aztahuacan village. In 1953 remains of two individuals were found and, according to analysis performed by National University of Mexico (UNAM) and of y del Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia these human remains are approximately nine thousand years old.More recent archaeological materials indicate continued occupation of the Cerro de la Estrella slopes, at least from the Preclassical period
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...
. At that time, a village related to the Cuicuilco
Cuicuilco
Cuicuilco is an important archaeological Mesoamerican Middle and Late Formative period site located on the southern shore of the Lake Texcoco in the southeastern Valley of Mexico. Today, it is a significant archaeological site that was occupied during the Early Formative until its destruction in...
culture was established here. This culture decline, in the South of the Valley of Mexico, occurred approximately in 8th century CE, and was possibly linked to the eruption of the Xitle volcano.
Towards the end of the Preclassical period commenced occupation by Culhuacán
Pueblo Culhuacán
Pueblo Culhuacán is an officially designated neighborhood of the Iztapalapa borough of Mexico City, which used to be a major pre Hispanic city. Ancient Culhuacán was founded around 600 CE and the site has continuously occupied since...
. During the classical period, Culhuacán, as most cities in the Valley of Mexico and 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...
, was part of a trade system centered in Teotihuacan
Teotihuacan
Teotihuacan – also written Teotihuacán, with a Spanish orthographic accent on the last syllable – is an enormous archaeological site in the Basin of Mexico, just 30 miles northeast of Mexico City, containing some of the largest pyramidal structures built in the pre-Columbian Americas...
. After the fall of this city, approximately in the 8th century d. C., some of its inhabitants took refuge in the ancient coastal towns of Texcoco Lake such as Culhuacán. A cultural Teotihuacan haven remained there, later merged with warrior peoples, migrating towards the center of México.
Site
Archeological investigations reveal indications of constructions built as early as 100 to 650 AD, and it was inhabited from the mid preclassical period (1000 AD) up to the Spaniards arrival. First settlers of the site used the Huizachtecatl slopes, where villages were founded; they had early farming systems and had a rudimentary social organization It is believed that these groups made the stone glyphs found in the place known as “Cerro Chiquito” or small hill.Ceramic and stone sculpture materials were discovered in the west side of Huizachtecatl that apparently was made within the 100 to 500 years AD; these resemble other similar pieces found in Zacatenco, north of México City. The constructions here were built between the year 100 and 650 AD and are located in the North side, the remains consist of foundations and walls of palaces that indicate Teotihuacán’s influence.
Archaeological evidence reveals the existence of a housing zone in the middle of the hill, built during the late Classic period (600 to 900 AD). At that time numerous civil type structures were constructed because of the increased population. Unfortunately, remains are lost under present constructions.
Sahagún, Motolinia, Torquemada and the Cuautitlán Annals, among other sources, indicate that between the period 900 to 1300 AD, the chichimeca were based in the west side of the hill, where they founded the town of Colhuacan. These settlers achieved important technological and social development; apparently a theocratic system prevailed and later by a dynasty of kings. Between years 1300 and 1521 AD, the mexicas invaded the area, and to control their people, they founded the town of Ixtapalapa that together with Colhuacan, served to protect the south of the great Tenochtitlan and to provide staples to the larger city. It is known that at that time the platforms the top of the hill were constructed.
New Fire ceremony
The mexicas conceived the universe as a four petal great flower of, at the center of which was the great Tenochtitlan. Each petal represented one of the four cardinal points; the region to the east was symbolized by the acatl glyph (cane), the west by calli (house), the north by tecpatl (flint stone knife) and the south by tochitl (rabbit). As an inherited Toltec tradition, they worshiped the Sun, deity that governed life of all beings and thought that human hearts were required to please him in addition to the blood on prisoner soldiers.For that reason, every 52 years, when the beginning of the calendars (Civil and Religious) coincided, the sacerdotal class performed the New Fire ceremony, to prevent the Sun’s death, as they thought, would cause total darkness of the universe, allowing the sprouting of tsitsimeme, entities that ate human beings.
At dusk of the great day the main priests wore their best clothes and headed by the priest of Copilco, went to the top of Huizachtecatl to initiate the ceremony. Previously, a prisoner was placed in the main temple altar, and when the time came, a log or mamahuastli was placed on his chest and set on fire to ignite the New Fire; meanwhile, the great Tenochtitlan and towns surrounding the great lake remained in complete darkness. The Copilco priest took the fire from the chest and transmitted it to a bonfire. Later the prisoner was sacrificed, his heart extracted and thrown into the flames. There were messengers responsible to deliver torches lit with the New Fire to priests of towns that had attended the ceremony at Huizachtecatl.
At the great Tenochtitlan the fire was placed before the main deity, from where it was taken to other Gods temples, and from there to people’s quarters.
Based on archeological investigations, Colhuas were the first to use the top of the hill for the New Fire or Toxiuhmopolli ceremony; historical sources indicate that four such ceremonies took place; in 1351, 1403, 1455 and 1507. The great Tenochtitlan was conquered before the fifth ceremony could take place.