Acozac . Archaeological zone corresponding to the Mayan civilization , located in Ixtapaluca , State of Mexico .
Summary
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- 1 Origin of the name
- 2 Location
- 3 History
- 4 Description of the city
- 1 Circular Temple
- 2 Palace
- 3 Large Platform
- 4 Altars and Templo Mayor
- 5 Related Links
- 6 Sources
Name’s origin
The translation of this word means ” yellow water “. This town receives its name, because it was located on the shores of Lake Texcoco , whose conformation of the soil in this area, in its vast majority is Tepetate , when the lake water mixed with the components of this rock, it became yellowish.
Location
Acozac is located at kilometer 30 of the Mexico- Puebla federal highway , in Ixtapaluca, State of Mexico. Following the free highway to Puebla, in Ixtapaluca, at the golf course you take the detour that leads to this excellent archaeological site.
History
The site was known as Ixtapaluca Viejo until 1973 , when the lands of the old Acozac ranch were subdivided to give rise to the subdivision and golf club, and by extension the archaeological zone was given the same name. It has recently been related to the site of Tlazallan – Tlallanoztoc , mentioned in the Xólotl Codex as the seat of Xólotl’s grandson Techotlallatzin . Ceramics have been found here, showing that the site was occupied at the times mentioned in the sources.
The occupation begins with the Aztec phase I ( 900 to 1200 after Christ ), continuing in the Aztec phase II ( 1200 to 1430 ), which is the one that coincides with the reign of Techotlallatzin. The last structures, which are the ones that are visible, correspond to the Aztec phase III ( 1430 to 1521 ).
Description of the city
Among the most attractive tourist spots in Acozac, we must mention the following: the Circular Temple, the Palace, the Great Platform and the altars and the Great Temple.
Circular Temple
It is a building with a combined plan, that is, it includes a circular and a rectangular one. It is known that this class of constructions were built in honor of the pre-Hispanic deity of the wind, Ehécatl – Quetzalcoatl , one of the essential figures of the Mesoamerican pantheon .
Palace
The Acozac Palace, for its part, is an enclosure with numerous rooms and from whose location it is possible to conjecture that it was the residence of the lords of the site. It is interesting to imagine this space when it was inhabited and full of life: an august palace, from a kingdom halfway between reality and myth.
Great Platform
Regarding the Great Platform, it is considered the largest structure of this archaeological site in the State of Mexico . However, the function given to it by the ancient Chichimecas has not yet been determined by specialists. However, studies on this are still ongoing.
Altars and Templo Mayor
The Altars are two structures that were used in the framework of popular rites, which took place near the so-called Templo Mayor. The latter is one of the largest structures found in Acozac, although its full function has not yet been identified by archaeologists.