Coordinates: 19°0′3.28″N 99°6′4.

19″W

El Tepozteco
El Tepozteco is an archaeological site in the Mexican state of Morelos. It consists of
El Tepozteco
a small temple to Tepoztecatl, the Aztec god of the alcoholic beveragepulque.[1]

In the middle Postclassic Period, various terraces and a small pyramid were built on
one of the peaks of the Sierra de Tepoztlan, overlooking the pre-Columbian town of
Tepoztlan. The temple became important enough to attract pilgrims from as far away
as Guatemala, although the cult of Tepoztecatl was local to this site.[1][2]

The Aztec pyramid of El Tepozteco

Contents
Status ruined
Description
Location
Interpretations
See also
Location Mexico

Notes Municipality Tepoztlan

References State Morelos
External links Geographic 19°0′3.28″N
coordinates 99°6′4.19″W
Architecture
Description
Type Temple
The temple itself stands at the western side of the site. It consists of a 6.4-meter-high
Style Aztec
platform supporting a 3.3-meter-high temple base. Upon this stand the remains of
Specifications
the temple building, the remains of which now stand 2.7 meters high.[1] The temple
was formed of two rooms. The first room opened onto the temple stairs, with two Direction of WNW
pillars flanking the entrance. In the centre of this room a small hollow was found, façade
containing traces of charcoal andcopal.[1][3] Height (max) 12.4 meters

The entry to the small inner sanctum was also flanked by two pillars. The sculpture
Website
of Tepoztecatl was probably kept in this room.[1][3] El Tepozteco at INAH (in Spanish)

The temple was modified several times during its history. The first consisted of a narrowing of the entrance to the inner sanctum by
building flanking walls against the formerly free-standing inner pillars.[1][3] The second, and most important, modification was the
addition of stone benches and a small projecting cornice. On the cornice are bas-reliefs of the glyphs of the 20 days of the sacred
tonalpohualli calendar.[1]

[1]
Dwellings were built on the terraces on the eastern side of the site in order to house the resident priests and their helpers.

Interpretations
In the ruins of the temple were found two fallen stones with glyphs, one stone bears the name of the eighth Aztec emperor Ahuizotl,
the other with the calendrical date "10 rabbit". This date represents the year 1502 A.D., the year that this emperor died. From this,
some archeologists have concluded that this was the year in which the temple was built, others suggest that these stones were added
later to commemorate the death of the Aztec emperor.[1] Some glyphs include a turquoise crown and a shield with arrows, which
have led investigators to conclude that the benches were built by the Triple Alliance some time after 1452 A.D., the year when the
Alliance conquered Tepoztlan.[1][4]
See also
List of Mesoamerican pyramids

Notes
1. Canto Aguilar 1998
2. Adams 1996, p.360.
Sculpted glyphs on the stone bench
3. El Tepozteco at INAH (http://www.gobiernodigital.inah.gob.mx/ZonasArq
inside the temple shrine
ueologicas/todas/htme/za01407.html)(in Spanish)
4. Matos Moctezuma & Solis Olguín 2002, p.450.

References
Adams, Richard E.W. (1996). Prehistoric Mesoamerica (Revised ed.). Norman: University of
Oklahoma Press. ISBN 0-8061-2834-8. OCLC 22593466.
Canto Aguilar, Giselle (1998). El Tepozteco, Morelos (Miniguía) (in Spanish). Mexico: Instituto
Nacional de Antropología e Historia.
Matos Moctezuma, Eduardo; Felipe Solís Olguín (2002). Aztecs. London: Royal Academy of Arts.
ISBN 1-903973-22-8. OCLC 56096386.

External links
El Tepozteco at INAH (in Spanish)

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epozteco&oldid=763740262"

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