San Marcos Jilotzingo: heritage issues after 900 years of continue occupancy

Summary

In September 2015, the second season of The Northern Basin of Mexico Sites Verification Project was made. During fieldwork, we had the chance of visit San Marcos Jilotzingo, a little town in the Mexican state of Mexico, and realize that the current village lay over the remains of prehispanic Xilotzingo, in which they share the same agricultural terraces, the tuff carved streets and building materials. But surprisingly there were no structures, since the current inhabitants of Jilotzingo dismantled prehispanic constructions in order to solve their daily needs, such as: raise the fences of their homes, to dam the river, or building tombs in the local cemetery.

The viceregal Xilotzingo, use to bring limestone to Hueypoxtla, to produce lime to sell to the Spaniards. Later, this area was incorporated into the encomienda given by Cortes to Isabel de Moctezuma. But all this is ignored by the modern inhabitants of Jilotzingo because at some moment of time, they lost the memory of their own history. Perhaps, remembering their past will work to stop the loss of their heritage or, maybe, poverty is their worse enemy.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Protección del Patrimonio Cultural en México, a través de la Dirección de Registro Público de Monumentos y Zonas Arqueológicos e Históricos   •
• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15428