CACAHUAMILPA CAVES

The Cacahuamilpa Caves National Park or Grutas de Cacahuamilpa as is named in Spanish; comes from the etymologic Cacahuamilpa word of the Náhuatl language, which means peanuts sowing. It is situated inside of the physiographic province of Sierra Madre South, in the north zone of Guerrero State, Mexico.

Cacahuamilpa caves are considered one of the most amazing caves in the World, cover 1,600 hectares and 1,380 metres long holding inside endless strange figures such as faces, facial expressions, animals, places, etc. which are cause of admiration and wonder among the visitants, particularly of those scientists who are dedicated to the Speleology. The caves are distributed in 80 both artificially and naturally full illuminated rooms, at least; also, their heights ranged between 30 metres to 70 metres.

The formations of these natural caves belong to the ancient traces of the sea made by the sediments that the water dragged. This is the principal reason why these rocks are so soluble allowing the pass of water, and through its route creates fissures at the beginning, to form later subterranean rivers in which bed deviation form the caves.

At this location there is a warm semi-dry climate; however, during the rains the forest becomes lush, while during the dry season the landscape turns a wood with no leafs. The low latitude-rainforest vegetation include many trees such as Bursera bipinnata, Bursera copallifera and Bursera jorullensis; as same as Crescentia Cujete and Crescentia Alata, used in the cooking utensils production.

Furthermore, among some of the distinguished animals, there are the cacomistles, badgers, racoons, rattlesnakes, iguanas and green iguanas, new world vultures, pumas, small tigers, rabbits, armadillos, otters, golden eagles, lynxes, etc. The National Park has also Limestone Mountains passed by subterranean rivers of San Jerónimo and Chontalcoatlán, both converging in the Amacuzac River, which flows into the Pacific Ocean.

This spectacular natural formation are open to the public with daily visits starting at 10 am, the tour is 2 hours walking along 2 kilometres.

HISTORY
This site is full of histories and legends. The legend tells that in the past times, long time ago, non pre-Hispanic tribe dared to enter. These tribes used to call this place Salachi, and in their fantasies they assured that these formations were the incarnations of bad spirits who denied the entrance to any foreigner.

According to this legend, there was a tribe that lived near to Tetipac village, and when they decided to overthrew their leader, he was the one who found these enormous caves close to the mountains, from where the water abundantly flowed. When he got inside, he was astonished in front of the spectacular view; and started to think about some way to recover his throne. Apparently, he had an unknown daughter by the tribe, so the leader prepared her to present as a deity. So then, he visited an ancient of the tribe and told him about the deity apparition.


Inside view of the Cacahuamilpa Caves
Lastly, this old man return to the tribe and told them about what he had seen in the Salachi caverns. Followed by the oldest men, they all visited the cave, where the daughter deity was over a wonderful formation in the middle of the place. When she saw all those old men coming in, the said loud: “I will end with your legion using these hell fires if you all do not put back in the throne your leader”. It was in this way that the leader recovered his throne, and the entire tribe kept for long time worshipping this secret and mysterious deity’s sanctuary.

So that and according to the studies, these places belong to the Chontales tribes, who were used to using them as special places dedicated to their god’s ceremonies and worships. These caves were discovered by Manuel Saenz de la Peña in 1834; but, on January 20th, 1936 they were declared as National Park by Lázaro Cárdenas Del Río, president of Mexico in that year, with many more other attractions near.

TETZCOTZINCO

The Hill of Tetzcotzinco is an important Aztec site that is surrounded by agricultural terraces and is located east of Tetzcoco at the base of the Mt. Tlaloc foothills. It is associated with life giving rain rites and agriculture. Although there has been little archaeological excavation at this site, survey plans, surface explorations, and aerial views demonstrate its layout. The architecture of this site combines landscape, sculpture and ritual. Tetzcotzinco is a reenactment of the symbolic landscape of Mt. Tlaloc and has been a place of worship since the time of the Chichimecs . After the famine of 1454 C.E., the tlatoani of Tetzcoco, Netzahuacoyotl, decided to build a new ceremonial center, refurbish, and reconstruct the Hill of Tetzcotzinco. This became the site where Netzahuacoyotl erected his personal palaces. It had rock-cut baths known popularly as the “baths of Nezahualcoyotl” and canals, aqueducts, gardens, and over 300 rooms. Tetzcotzinco had a system of farming terraces extending northward from the hill, forming a huge natural amphitheater, and the hill and the neighboring towns that still exist today, were supplied with water by aqueducts from springs high on Mt. Tlaloc. The hydraulic works of Tetzcotzinco are considered one of the major engineering accomplishments of the Pre-Columbian times . The aqueduct transported water over a distance of eight kilometers from springs at the slopes of Mt. Tlaloc through the Metecatl Hill to irrigate an extensive area of gardens, fountains, and baths carved in the rock of the Tetzcotzinco hill under the auspices of the great poet, engineer, and king Netzahuacoyotl.

Most of the monuments of Tetzcotzinco were destroyed by the Spanish in 1539 C.E.; however, many pictorial manuscripts, texts, and related sculpture and architecture provide useful information to reconstruct what remains of the site. The archaeologist Richard Townsend mapped the area in 1979 and revealed that the upper hill was cosmologically designed. Approximately 55 meters below the summit, the ritual zone is demarcated by a walkway cut around the hill. On this path there are four baths or shallow basins oriented to the four cardinal directions. Their receptacles were manifestations of Chalchiuhtlicue’s aquatic domain and were used for ritual purification. Their water was supplied by an aqueduct built in a circular path that served processional circumambulation and divided the upper sacred zone from the profane space below .
Civic Monuments
Among the civil architectural features that can still be seen at Tetzcotzinco are: the Reservoir System H and the Fountain , a group of water deposits built on the northern skirts of Metecatl Hill with the intention to control the speed and flow of the water that descended to Tetzcotzinco; the Monolithic Room, a pool at the entrance of the hydraulic system that had a temple on top dedicated either to the wind god Ehecatl or to the Sun (Tonatiuh) the aqueduct subsystem circuit with a series of channels every 50 meters to irrigate the gardens, the farming terraces and give services to the royal compounds the so-called King’s and Queen’s baths , a collection of rock-cut monolithic deposits of water with a magnificent view to the former gardens in the slopes of the hill and the Valley of Mexico; and finally, the Palace attributed to Netzahuacoyotl that is not yet excavated.
Shrines
The Tetzcotzinco Hill has a sequence of shrine stations along an east-west axis that follows the natural ridge of the hill. The alignment indicates the path of the sun, leading scholars to believe that Tetzcotzinco had calendrical and astronomical functions determined by the solstice and equinox . In Tetzcotzinco’s summit there are remains of a temple built over a cave . There is also a goggle-eyed mask of

Tlaloc engraved on a bedrock boulder
There is an important shrine that is a cave below the circumscribing path next to the King’s bath and near a system of lower terraces where Netzahualcoyotl’s palace and botanical gardens stood . Caves are associated with the heart of the earth, mountains, and wombs related to fertility. The cave above is related to the ancestors and lineage of Netzahuacoyotl, recalling the genesis theme that people first emerged from the womb of the earth through caves (Chicomoztoc). By placing his compounds next to the cave, Netzahuacoyotl legitimized himself and his legacy.
Another shrine is located high on the western axis, it has two very damaged carved effigies on the living rock; they are of female divinities connected to the cycle of maize. The divinities are associated with the festivals of Huey Tozoztli, Huey Tecuihuitl and Ochpaniztli. Huey Tozoztli was dedicated to Chicomecoatl, the goddess of dried seed corn, and Cinteotl, the conflated male and female deity of the young corn, and was celebrated at the height of the dry season when corn was consecrated for the coming planting. Huey Tecuihuitl was dedicated to Xilonen, goddess of the mature corn, and it occurred during the middle of the rain season. Ochpaniztli was dedicated to the male and female earth and maize deities, and it was celebrated during the harvest to mark the start of the dry season.
The last shrines are Netzalhualcoyotl’s personal commemorative monuments located on the eastern slope of the hill below the summit. There was an ample assembly plaza that was constructed facing an exposed rock-face where the sculptures were carved. The monuments have been destroyed, but from the writings of chronicler Fernando de Alva Ixtlixochitl, it is known that the first monument recorded the deeds of Netzahuacoyotl as a hero and founder of the Tetzcocan nation. Adjacent to this sculpture there was a seated coyote of stone with Netzahualcoyotl’s hieroglyphic name, which means fasting coyote. The monuments faced east toward the rising sun, associating Netzahuacoyotl with the daily appearance of light, heat, and the renewal of seasons.

TEPOZTLAN tepozteco piramyd

Tepoztlan whose name means “place of copper” is a town located south of Mexico City, near the city of Cuernavaca. Other meanings or names associated with the site are “place of split stones” or “place of axes”. In some records, the town is named Tepozteco because the spectacular and beautiful sierra with the same name surrounds it . The city was founded in the Late Post-Classic period by the Tlahuica people. Its pyramidal complex was dedicated to Tepoztecatl also known as Ome Tochtli, the pulque (alcoholic beverage from the maguey plant) god. He was a legendary cultural hero that after being a priest for the gods of pulque was deified. The intoxication with pulque was an important religious practice of alteration of consciousness with the purpose of communication with the gods. According to the Mendoza Codex, Tepoztlan was conquered by Motecuhzoma II Ihuilcamina, becoming tributary to Tenochtitlán.
The Pyramid-Temple of Tepoztlan
The pyramid was built on top of a mountain in the spectacular Tepoztlan sierra. The area where the pyramid was erected is rocky in nature and was artificially molded and cut. A 9.50 meter high platform was constructed there. The platform is accessed from the east side through stairs situated in the posterior part of the temple; there are other stairs in the southeast section of the edifice. On the back section of the platform, there is a raised base composed of two inclined sections separated by a passageway that has stairs on its west side leading to the temple , The temple consists of two rooms that are bordered by two meter wide walls. The first room or vestibule is formed by the extension of two side walls and two pillars , The room is six by 5.20 meters and has lateral benches and a depression at the center similar to some of the temples in Malinalco. Archaeological remains suggest that the roof was made of tezontle; door jambs and benches were made of stone. The benches have small cornices whose ornamentation is believed to represent the twenty day signs.

In the lower part of the pyramid there are two plaques; one has the hieroglyph of king Ahuitzotl, indicating a date of 1500 C.E. and the other has the date 10 Tochtli (rabbit) that corresponds to the last (final) years of Ahuitzotl’s reign. These plates indicate that this monument was constructed sometime between 1502 and 1520 C.E. The pyramid also consisted of 13 steps that symbolized the 13 levels of heaven.
Ome Tochtli, the pulque god and patron deity of Tepoztlan is related to the earth goddess. Festivals at the temple were carried out after the crop season. In addition, when a person died of alcohol intoxication, the town members would have a celebration in honor of the deceased individual. At present, on December 8 every year coinciding with the Christian festival of the Nativity, there is a festival dedicated to the cultural hero Tepoztecatl, and people still climb the mountain to place offerings to him. Tepoztlan is a place loaded with ancient traditions, legends and magic practices of Pre-Columbian affiliation.