Altavista petroglyphs

The Altavista petroglyph complex is located near the village and beach-town of Chacala, south of the Compostela Municipality, in Nayarit Mexico.

The area is known as "La Pila del Rey", "Chacalán", "El Santuario", "The Petroglyphs” or "the Altavista petroglyphs", near the Jaltemba Bay, in the Pacific Ocean of Nayarit.

This region was originally home to the largely unstudied Tecoxquin (Tequectequi) native culture dating from approximately 2000 BC to 2300 BCE. It contains 56 petroglyphs whose antiquity cannot be accurately determined. Aside from its cultural and archeological importance, the site remains an important religious center for the Huicholes who still leave offerings and perform ceremonies here.

In prehispanic times, the Compostela municipality area was inhabited by the Mazatán peoples, tributary of Xalisco-Zacualpan Kingdom.

The Tecoxquines (Aztec Group) engraved images in volcanic stone over two thousand years ago near Las Piletas. These petroglyphs perhaps were symbolic elements of everyday life, as far as health, fertility, rains, and crops. The rock carvings might have been meant as prayers or offerings to the gods responsible for these things.

There are fifteen signs (Spanish & English posted along entrance path, a brief summary is provided below:

Altavista petroglyphs archaeological site, located along the sides of a creek on the slopes the Copo volcano. Covers an area of approximately 80 hectares, with a large concentration of petroglyphs. (More than 2000 engravings identified)

Original Altavista inhabitants. This native group inhabited a vast region covering the South coast of Nayarit, neighbouring coasts, and mountainous regions of Jalisco, Mexico. They were mainly farmers, fishermen, salt producers and traders of cocoa and cotton. The Tecoxquines were organized in a number of villages under the control of Teuzacualpan Chila Valley (modern city of Zacualpan). Business links allowed them to develop an intensive trade, reached Sinaloa to the north and Colima and Michoacán to the South and East.

No doubt, many religious ceremonies at this site were based on nahualism. Nahualism or Shamanism as former religious practices whereby people communicated with their gods and spirits during altered states of consciousness. This tradition has deep roots in the region; the Nayarit word derives from the word "nahualli". The Tecoxquines used psychotropic plants and tobacco plants to achieve states of ecstasy and communicate with their gods.

After the Spanish conquest, the Tecoxquines completely annihilated by epidemics and forced labor. Today native cities of the region still talk about "white Indians," ghosts appearing from the mountains to honor their ancient gods.

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