Xochicalco and Teotenango: New Approaches on Their Interactions (750–1150 CE)

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Interactions during the Epiclassic and Early Postclassic (AD 650–1100) in the Central Highlands: New Insights from Material and Visual Culture" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Since the 1950s, Xochicalco (Morelos) and Teotenango (state of Mexico) have been constantly compared and assumed as two Epiclassic cities. The hypothesis of their contemporaneity and interaction is derived from their similarities in terms of location, visual culture, sculptural style, and glyphic system. However, upon reviewing and approaching the data provided by archaeological research in a more systematic way, there is a remarkable series of differences in terms of chronological sequence, spatial organization, and ceramic and lithic material, among others. The examination of the available visual and material culture leads us to consider that, if there was an interaction between these two sites, it was in the Xochicalco–Teotenango direction and, furthermore, other sites in the southern region of the State of Mexico and the Toluca Valley (such as Santa Cruz Atizapán and Malinalco) had a fundamental role in these relationships. Xochicalco and Teotenango shared features that are present in several city-states that were part of the Epiclassic network of the central Altiplano, such as Cacaxtla-Xochitécatl and Tula Chico, but also toward the east and north.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Interactions during the Epiclassic and Early Postclassic (AD 650–1100) in the Central Highlands: New Insights from Material and Visual Culture   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38252.0