THE 5 MOST IMPORTANT ARCHAEOLOGICAL ZONES OF VERACRUZ - CULTURE VOCABULARY

Some archaeological sites in Veracruz are among the most important in Mexico. One of these is the Tajín area, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO thanks to the cultural value of its findings.

This area is one of the best preserved and most excavated examples of a pre-Hispanic city from the time that elapsed between the fall of Teotihuacan and the rise of the Aztec Empire.

The Tajin

The original inhabitants of this Mexican entity were the Olmec, Huastec and Totonac cultures.

All these indigenous civilizations left traces of their advanced culture. This is reflected in its constructions, as well as in its technological and artistic details.

The 5 main archaeological zones of Veracruz

1- El Tajín

El Tajín is considered the most spectacular archaeological zone in Veracruz. It is located on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico and extends over an area of about 10 square km.

The Tajín is also known as "City of the Thunder God". Its construction is attributed to the Totonacs.

During the pre-Hispanic era, this tribe dominated the central part of what is now Veracruz.

Among the treasures of this site are ball courts, sprawling residential buildings, relief sculptures and friezes, and a wide variety of ceremonial buildings, including the well-known Pyramid of the Niches.

2- Zempoala

Another of the most outstanding archaeological zones of Veracruz is the one found in the ancient city of Zempoala. Its name means "Place of the 20 waters".

Its foundation is also attributed to the Totonacs, in the year 1,200 AD. These ruins cover an area of 5.2 km² and comprise a group of ten constructions erected from rocks collected from the surrounding rivers.

At the arrival of Hernán Cortés, it is estimated that this city had a population of 30,000 people. The ruler of this region, the Totonac chief Chicomeacatl Quauhtlaebana, collaborated with Cortés in the colonization of Mexico.

3- Tres Zapotes

Tres Zapotes is an important development of the Olmec culture. This culture had a special development as a ceremonial center between 500 and 1000 BC. C., and came to spread to other areas of Mexico.

The Tres Zapotes ruins are located near the Hueyapan stream, north of the town of the same name.

This archaeological zone is made up of nine Olmec monuments, including a gigantic head.

In addition, it includes a monument where information about the numerical system that years later would be adopted by the Mayans and Zapotecs can be observed.

4- Philobobos

This archaeological site is located about 15 km from Tlapacoyan, in the Bobos river valley. It is still in excavation work.

It is an area of many visitors both for the beauty of its locations, the birdlife and serenity, and for the ruins themselves.

It is not known with certainty which culture originally occupied this site. Some pieces found indicate that they had a fertility cult, so it is thought that there may have been a Huasteca influence.

However, other sculptures resemble the Totonac style and the buildings seem to have Olmec influence.

Some archaeologists speculate that Filobobos was the center of a still unknown Mesoamerican civilization. It is estimated that both the sculptures and the buildings found date from the year 1000 BC. C.

5- El Zapotal

This archaeological zone belongs to the Totonac culture. It is located in the Mixtequilla region.

It is known because inside it is Mictlantecuhtli, a clay figure that represents the lord of the underworld accompanied by different offerings. There were also 235 human burials from that time found at the excavation site.

References

UNESCO. (s / f). El Tajin, Pre-Hispanic City. Retrieved on December 20, 2017, from whc.unesco.org
Robledo, R. (2011, June 10). 10 archaeological zones to know the millenary Veracruz. Retrieved on December 20, 2017, from eluniversalveracruz.com.mx
National Institute of Anthropology and History (1976). El Tajín: Official Guide. Mexico City: INAH.
Ring, T. (Editor). (2013). The Americas: International Dictionary of Historic Places

edited by Noelle Watson, Paul Schellinger. New York: Routledge.
Sanchez, J. (2014). Mexico's Veracruz Adventure Guide. Québec: Hunter Publishing.
Joyce, K. (2001). An Archaeological Guide to Central and Southern Mexico. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.
Evans, ST and Webster, DL (2013). Archeology of Ancient Mexico and Central America: An Encyclopedia. New York: Routledge.
Fisher, J.; Jacobs, D. and Keeling, S. (2013). The Rough Guide to Mexico. New York: Penguin.
Bautista Hidalgo, JC (s / f)). Mictlantecuhtli del Zapotal. Semiannual Bulletin No. 3 Acervos Cncpc - Inah. Retrieved on December 20, 2017, from consercion.inah.gob.mx.
Torres Guzmán, M. (2004). The multiple burials of the archaeological zone of El Zapotal, Veracruz. In L. López, Y. and Serrano Sánchez, C. (editors), Funerary practices on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. pp. 203-212. Mexico DF: UNAM.

THE 5 MOST IMPORTANT ARCHAEOLOGICAL ZONES OF VERACRUZ - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025