page_title: Tehuacalco
section_title: Composition of the site
hierarchical_section_title: Tehuacalco / Composition of the site
caption_attribution_description: English: Mesoamerican ball court in Tehuacalco, Guerrero This is a photo of a monument in Mexico, identified by ID ZA58
context_page_description: Tehuacalco is an archeological site located near the city of Chilpancingo, Guerrero, Mexico. It was the first archeological site associated with the Yope people to be excavated, in the 2000s. The site is on a hill surrounded by mountains, which were worshipped by the Yope. Four marked the cardinal directions and one, Compuerta, was used to mark solar events such as equinoxes and solstices as the sun rose behind it. Tehuacalco was occupied as a ceremonial site from about 400CE to about 1100CE. The site was opened to the public in 2008.
context_section_description: The site is located on a hill surrounded by taller mountains. Four of these mountains, Compuerta, Capulín, Tierra Colorada and Gavilpan, mark the cardinal directions. The site hill was considered to be a “fifth” direction, where power was concentrated.
  The site has four aspects, areas with rock etchings, the surrounding mountain terrain, pyramidal structures and caves in the hills with offerings. The rock etchings include the Piedra de los Pies Pintados, with markings of feet and Monument W which has circular patterns used to counts lunar cycles. Fifty seven caves on the sides of Compuerta have been explored with findings of offerings such as braziers and incense burners. These caves were related to the worship of the sun. The site possesses various characteristics related to archaeoastronomy . The site is oriented towards the Compuerta Mountain. This mountain and smaller peaks on each side were used to mark equinoxes and solstices, as the sun rose from behind them.
  The site was a ceremonial center with a plaza surrounded by various pyramid bases and other structures. The site has a distinct construction style, which consists of boulders with spaces between them filled in with layers of flat rock and red clay. This allows the structures to withstand earthquakes. Of the discovered structures, eight are considered major complexes with the rest minor. The most import of these is four large pyramidal structures and a Mesoamerican ball court. Some of the pyramid bases are in unusually good condition. The four main structures are Encinera or Main Temple, the Palace, the Templo del Espejo de Agua and Platform W. The Palace, also denominated as Building Five, is the largest on the site, with a base that measures eighty meters on each side. It has sunken patios and various courts. The La Encinera is twenty meters tall and was the site for various rituals performed by priests and rulers. The ball court measures 37.8 meters long. Platform W had residences for the elite with internal patios and drainage systems. However, the most sacred part of the site is a hill dedicated as sanctuary for the worship of water and rain. Some of the minor structures include the Templo Verde, the Templo Rojo and La Anona. The last two form the Solar Group.
caption: The Mesoamerican ball court
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