The ceremonial centers of the Mixtecos are places where this indigenous Mexican culture, which is almost five millennia old, has practiced its main cultural and religious rituals.
These centers are located in different parts of the territories that the Mixtec have historically inhabited. These territories include part of the current states of Oaxaca, Puebla and Guerrero.
Monte Albán, where Mitla is located, one of the main ceremonial centers of the Mixtecs
The most recognized ceremonial centers of the Mixtecs are found in cities constituted by this culture, such as Tilantongo and Mitla. However, ceremonial centers are also known in natural places that are not found in the human settlements of the Mixtecs.
In the ceremonial centers it is common to find vessels and structures with pictograms that revealed part of the history and mythology of the Mixtecs. Specifically, it is known that ceremonial vessels were important in the rituals of this culture.
Main Mixtec ceremonial centers
Mitla
Mitla, known as "the place of death", was a great city of the Mixtecs. It is located near Monte Albán, in plains of hot climate covered with cactus.
In this city, the Mixtecs located beautiful palaces and temples of great ceremonial importance for them.
These places were built on geometric stone mosaics located on wide and low terraces.
Tilantongo
Tilantongo was an important political center for the Mixtecs for much of their history. In addition, it was also a great ceremonial center that contained important temples, even the name in the Mixtec language means "black town-temple of heaven."
Tilantongo was the birthplace of one of the most important Mixtec caciques, known as Ocho Venado.
Tututepec
The city of Tututepec was founded as a way to generate a strategic alliance with a group linked to the Toltec-Chichimeca.
Tututepec was one of the main imperial capitals of the Mixtec culture, which stands out for its archaeological wealth.
Tututepec has been an important civic-ceremonial center for Mixtecs in different periods of its history.
In pre-Hispanic times it contained important temples on which the Spanish later built a Catholic church during the colonial period.
In addition to temples, in Tutepec there are various monuments carved in stone, which represent different Mixtec deities and other pre-Hispanic cultures with which they were related.
Ceremonial centers in hills
Ceremonial centers outside the territorial center of the Mixtecs have also been common. More than ten hills are known that represent diverse spiritual beings of the underworld with human and animal forms.
In these hills, places with altars built with rocks and accompanied by idols used for ceremonies have been found.
Some of the hills with the most representative ceremonial centers of the Mixtecs are "kruse ónni" or hill of the three crosses, "saabí Kuagtná" or hanging rain hill and Xikí Duxá hill or the hill where the stone idol is worshiped. among many others.
The ceremonies that are historically carried out on these hills include activities that range from rites to invoke rain to worship of spiritual beings.
References
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- Joyce A. et al. Lord 8 Deer "Jaguar Claw" and the Land of the Sky: The Archeology and History of Tututepec. Latin American Antiquity. 2004; 15 (3): 273-297
- Montero G. (1992). Physical space and sacred space. Territoriality in a Mixtec community (Oaxaca, Mexico). Meeting of the working group of the Center for Latin American Studies of the University of Warsaw; Warsaw, Poland.
- Nagengast C. Kearney M. Mixtec Ethnicity: Social Identity, Political Consciousness, and Political Activism: Latin American Research Review. 1990; 25 (2): 61-91
- Rodriguez V. Recent Advances in Mixtec Archeology. Journal of Archaeological Research. 2013; 21 (1): 75-121
- Sanchez GH Vessels for ceremony: the pictography of codex-style mixteca-puebla vessels from central and south mexico. latin american antiquity. 2010; 21 (3): 252-273.