Archaeologists discover ceremonial offerings and a staircase to the spiral pyramidal monument at Xoc

[Judi Lynn]

Image Credit : INAH

Archaeologists discover ceremonial offerings and a staircase to the spiral pyramidal monument at Xochitécatl

Archaeologists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) have discovered several ceremonial offerings, and a staircase to the spiral pyramidal monument at the pre-Columbian site of Xochitécatl, located in the Mexican State of Tlaxcala.

Xochitécatl was founded during the Middle Pre-Classic Period around 800 BC upon the summit of a 4 km-wide extinct volcano, that rises 200 metres above the floor of the Puebla-Tlaxcala Valley.

In AD 150, an eruption of the Popocatepetl Volcano led to the site being abandoned, until it was resettled in AD 650, emerging as a ceremonial centre within the extended urban area of Cacaxtla. By AD 950, both Xochitecatl and Cacaxtla were abandoned, although there is evidence of continued ritual activity in the Post-Classic Period.

Excavations were conducted at the site’s spiral pyramidal monument within the framework of works initiated by the Ministry of Culture of the Government of Mexico, in preparation for the construction of a museum at Xochitécatl.

More:
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2021/09/archaeologists-discover-ceremonial-offerings-and-a-staircase-to-the-spiral-pyramidal-monument-at-xochitecatl/141388

How to pronounce Xochitécatl:

https://www.howtopronounce.com/xochitecatl

How to pronounce cacaxtla:

https://www.howtopronounce.com/cacaxtla



Pirámide de Xochitécatl, Tlaxcala. México

[Wicked Blue]

1. Wonderful pictures

The stones in the next to last picture are reminiscent of the ones at Stonehenge.

The upright stones in Xochitécatl are shaped cylinders with flattened tops, unlike the roughly shaped uprights at Stonehenge. And the capstone seems to be a modified oval shape. I can't understand how the rounded capstone stays in place when it only touches a small portion on the surface of the uprights. One would think it would fall off during an earth tremor.

As seen in this image, the capstones and uprights in Stonehenge are rectangular and appear to fit together more securely.