Monica Roccaforte All Moves

Ancient Mesoamerica News Updates 2011, No. 22: Soledad de Maciel, Petatlan, Guerrero - Recently Opened, The Museum Site Xihuacan On March 22, 2011, the Museo de Sitio Xihuacan, located at the archaeological site of Soledad de Maciel, was opened to the public. The museum showcases some 800 objects, many of which can be related to the central Mexican culture of Teotihuacan. Last Friday, April 1, 2011, the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH) posted a bulletin on the museum. Since four years the INAH is excavating at the site and the site itself will be opened soon to the public as well. Featuring prominently at the site is a large ballcourt (edited by AMaNU; photos from various sources):

Nuevo museo exhibe objetos de estilo teotihuacano - A cuatro miles from Zihuatanejo-Acapulco highway, in the Costa Grande of Guerrero, is located Xihuacan Site Museum, which opened recently and features more than 800 archaeological pieces, most of Teotihuacan style, found over several years in the community of Soledad de Maciel, in the town of Petatlan. The museum's new exhibition presents a vast universe of prehispanic pieces, such as figurines, vases of obsidian, shell-work, copper axes, beads and bells, pottery and lithic collection through which explains the cultural development of this ancient city had a strong interaction with Teotihuacan during the Classic period (200 to 650 AD).

Xihuacan Site Museum is located in the Soledad de Maciel Archeological Zone, where for four years, the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), carries out the exploration and appreciation of pre-Hispanic monuments, in order to open to the public later this year. The archaeologist Rodolfo Lobato, who is coordinating the exploration at the site, reported that among the ancient objects presented in the museum, stands a stone carved with the glyph Xihuacan toponym, which gives the area its name. "It measures three feet high by 50 wide and 25 centimeters thick, was found during Recent excavations in the area of \u200b\u200bthe Ball Game. The glyph is circular and reveals the name that this place was known pre-Hispanic times. Xihuacan is a Náhuatl word meaning "place of the holders of turquoise", which refers to a metaphor to describe those "who have the time" or "controlling the schedule." In this sense, the Guerrero INAH Center archaeologist, said that this allegory is associated with the role played by this settlement as the largest lead of the Costa Grande. In addition, the Court concluded that the urban plan is linked to celestial motions.

La colección de piezas que se muestran en el museo de sitio está conformada por aquellas halladas recientemente, así como de otras encontradas con anterioridad, cuando se hicieron los primeros registros y recorridos arqueológicos a cargo de especialistas como Pedro Hendrichs en 1943, Pedro Armillas en 1948 y Ellen Brush en 1968, así como Rubén Manzanilla a finales de los años 80. Rodolfo Lobato añadió que también se exhibe un aro de Juego de Pelota, labrado en granito con la representación de dos cabezas de serpientes, que fue encontrado en 1925 por campesinos y fue resguardado por la comunidad. Así mismo, destacan esculturas de cabezas de jaguares, pesas de barro, puntas y cuchillos de obsidiana, navajillas, bowls, winches, pots, bottles, ear muffs, a clay flute, a rod of stone and clay pot decorated with representations of heads of monkeys and birds, which dates from the year 500 AD. Rodolfo Lobato said that in the ancient pre-Hispanic times Xihuacan residents took advantage of the warm climate of the region for the cultivation of cotton and cocoa products highly valued in Mesoamerican societies. At the same time, high productivity of beans, corn and squash, thanks to complex systems of irrigation. In the room which alludes to the ancient inhabitants of Soledad de Maciel, explains that this site was the leading center of the Costa Grande. "Their heyday was in the Epi (650 to 950 AD), but was inhabited from the Preclassic (2500 BC to 200 AD), Classic (200 to 650 AD) until the Early Postclassic (950 to 1300 AD). The same context indicates that it had led to gradual abandonment by floods in the area, forcing the inhabitants to migrate to higher areas. " The archaeologist added that, according to historical sources of the sixteenth century, it is known that the region was occupied by groups and Cuitlatec tepuztecos, "but still can not specify the name of the ethnic groups that existed here. "In the specific case of Soledad de Maciel, its first inhabitants were agricultural groups over time managed consolidar una sociedad estratificada y una organización suficiente para levantar basamentos y crear obras de ingeniería hidráulica. Sus pobladores también tuvieron influencia olmeca, apreciable en sus figurillas de barro y cerámica”. Fue durante el periodo Clásico cuando se dio la influencia de la cultura teotihuacana, que se reflejó en la complejidad social y poderío que alcanzó Xihuacan; etapa en la que comenzó la construcción del gran conjunto ceremonial que caracteriza el sitio.

Exploración y restauración - La investigación arqueológica y consolidación de estructuras en el sitio prehispánico de Soledad de Maciel, se lleva a cabo en 29 of the 59 hectares which occupies the area, here is the ceremonial center with the highest concentration of old buildings, for which research and restoration INAH has spent more than three million pesos. "One of the particularities of this archaeological site is its system of construction, made of adobe. The settlement has risen to nearly eight feet from the ground by masonry bricks that create a platform on which structures were built, "said Lobato Rodriguez. The ceremonial area is comprised of four major structures or mounds, called "A" has a dimension of 100 meters long by 16 high. Archaeologist stressed that the design presented by the city to a classic Teotihuacan architectural layout: four temples surrounding architecture of smaller dimensions, such as altars, a ball game and a plaza. The specialist pointed out Guerrero INAH Center also performs the enhancement of a golf ball game, which is hinged to tecpan or site where the ruling elite resided. "The Ball Game is on land measuring 2.5 hectares and was built with large granite slabs and boulders, during his exploration were found markers or trowel of the bench rings and placed vertically." Finally, the archaeologist Rodolfo Lobato said Epi during the period (650 to 950 AD), the site reached its apogee with expansionist view and held commercial control. His great ceremonial center became a place of religious worship and seat of power farm. The INAH continues with excavation and consolidation in the Soledad de Maciel Archeological Zone with a view to opening for public visits this year, given the interest that the site has generated among the local community and tourism. Xihuacan Site Museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00. Since its recent opening, temporarily you can visit for free. (Source INAH)