Cuicuilco

Enclosed by two main thoroughfares of the city, an ecological park has survived because it holds the remains of the Cuicuilco pre-hispanic culture. It consisted of several villages of loosely organized farmer-hunters who took advantage of the varied flora and fauna between the volcanic mountains and the lake shore. The piramid is one of the few discovered constructions, which functioned as an observatory of celestial bodies, so the priests could predict the agricultural calendar. It has a particular round shape and is over 23 meters tall. At the top are the remains of an altar. From here you have an excellent view of the Xitle, the volcanic cone just in front of the highest peak in the city, the Ajusco. An eruption of this volcano was responsible for the destruction of Cuicuilco during the first century of our era. Archeologists found ditches that were built by villagers in a vain attempt to divert the flow of lava from its ceremonial center. It is likely that emigration from this center to the Valley of Teotihuacan was one of the predominant factors of the spectacular development of that city in the following centuries. Some common features with prehispanic peoples in western Mexico (circular piramids, bottle-shaped tombs...), suggest a cultural link.

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