Cacaxtla

Cacaxtla is an archaeological site near the southern border of the Mexican state of Tlaxcala. It contains a sprawling palace with vibrantly colored murals painted in Maya style. The nearby site of Xochitecatl was a more public ceremonial complex associated with Cacaxtla. The two prospered 650–900 CE, probably controlling important trade routes through the region, with an enclave population of no more than 10,000 people.

Cacaxtla was the capital of a region inhabited by the Olmeca-Xicallanca people, whose origins are not known with certainly. They are assumed to come from the Gulf coast region, and were perhaps Maya settlers who arrived in this part of central Mexico around 400 CE. After the fall of the nearby city of Cholula (c. 650 – 750), in which the Cacaxtlecas might have been involved, Cacaxtla became the hegemonic power in this part of the Tlaxcala–Puebla valley. Its warriors appear to have taken over Cholula for a time, but were ultimately expelled by the Toltecs. Its ascendancy ended around 900 CE and, by 1000, the city had been abandoned.

The centre of the city was the 200-metre-long, 25-metre-high Gran Basamento, a natural platform with a fine defensive position and commanding views. The main religious and civil buildings stood on it, along with the residences of the priest class. Because it was not excavated until the 1980s, many of the original coloured wall decorations survive in place. Most of the murals seem to combine the symbology of Mexican altiplano cultures with influences from the Maya, which makes Cacaxtla unique.

The most famous painting is the Battle Mural, dating from prior to 700, on the sloping limestone wall of a temple base and split in two by a central staircase. It is a narrative scene nearly 26 meters (80 feet) long showing a fearful armed fight between two ethnic groups. The victors carry round shields, obsidian knives, atlatls and spears, while the defeated, identified as Maya from their facial profiles and head deformation, are naked except for plumes, earplugs and some jade jewels. Other murals show a bird man and a feline man, possibly ruler-priests, and figures in a Venus Temple whose skirts bear the Venus symbol. The site was rediscovered in September 1975 by maintenance workers and is now maintained by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).

Cacaxtla was the capital of a region inhabited by the Olmeca-Xicallanca people. The origins of the Olmeca-Xicalanca are not known with certainty, but they are assumed to come from the Gulf coast region, and were perhaps Maya settlers who arrived in this part of central Mexico around 400 CE.

The term "Olmeca-Xicalanca" was first mentioned by Tlaxcalan historian Diego Muñoz Camargo at the end of the 16th century. This historian described Cacaxtla as the principal settlement of the "Olmeca", although what we today refer to as the Olmec culture ended ~400 BCE, that is, almost 800 years earlier.

After the fall of the nearby city Cholula (c. 650 – 750) — in which the Cacaxtlecas might have been involved — Cacaxtla became the hegemonic power in this part of the Tlaxcala–Puebla valley. Warriors from Cacaxtla appear to have taken over Cholula for a time, but they were ultimately expelled by the Toltecs. Its ascendancy came to an end around 900 CE and, by 1000, the city had been abandoned.

Modern history of the site

The site was rediscovered in September 1975 by maintenance workers, but quickly came to the attention of archaeologists.

Archaeologists Eduardo Merlo Juárez, Diana Lopez-Sotomayor and Daniel Molina-Feal dedicated over six years of their life excavating the site. The first work to be done in the area consisted on clearing the original tunnel opened by the maintenance workers, Archeologist Diana Lopez-Sotomayor, later appointed project manager, recalled her first view of the life-sized characters depicted in the murals as an overwhelming experience. As further figures appeared on the mural, the area of excavation had to be enlarged and several constructive stages were discovered. The first area to be excavated was the main mural, known as the "Gran Basamento", and the immediate purpose of the work was to protect and secure the murals and other structures from the weather and looters.