Guiengola
| Zapotec Culture – Archaeological Site | ||
| Name: | Guiengola Archaeological site | |
| Type | Mesoamerican archaeology | |
| Location |
Tehuantepec, Oaxaca Mexico
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| Region | Mesoamerica | |
| Coordinates | 16°23′09″N 95°19′24″W / 16.38583°N 95.32333°WCoordinates: 16°23′09″N 95°19′24″W / 16.38583°N 95.32333°W | |
| Culture | Zapotec civilization – Zapotec peoples | |
| Language | Zapotec | |
| Chronology | 1350 to 1521 CE. (Probably earlier) | |
| Period | Mesoamerican Postclassical | |
| Apogee | ||
| INAH Web Page | zona Arqueológica de Guiengola | |
Guiengola is a Zapotec archeological site located 14 km (8.7 mi) north of Tehuantepec, and 243 km (151 mi) southeast of Oaxaca city on Federal Highway 190. The visible ruins are located between a hill and a river, each carries the name of Guiengola. The name means "large stone" in the local variant of the Zapotec language. There are two main tombs that have been excavated, and both seem to be family interment sites. Both have front chambers that are for religious idols, while the rear chambers are for the burial of important people. The site also has fortified walls, houses, ballgame fields, other tombs and a very large "palace" with remains of artificial ponds and terraces. In the center of the site are 2 plazas, one lower than the other, and 2 pyramids, one to the east and one to the west.
The Zapotec civilization had its beginnings in the Oaxaca valley in the late 6th Century BC. The three branches of the valley were divided between 3 different sized societies, separated by 80 km2 "no-man’s-land" in the central valley. Archaeological evidence from the period, such as burned temples and sacrificed captives, suggest that the 3 societies were in some sort of competition.
The Oaxaca Valley, the cradle of Zapotec civilization, is a broad valley in the north-eastern part of state of Oaxaca located about 200 km (120 mi) south of Mexico City. Mountains surround the valley with The Sierra Madre Oriental in the north and the mountains of Tlacolula in the southeast. The area’s environment is well suited for agriculture, especially the cultivation of maize, making it a desirable place for settlers. The valley floor is mostly flat with large tracts of arable land. At the time of the emergence of Zapotec civilization, the valley soil had not suffered erosion, since the oak-pine forest surrounding the valley was intact. The climate the temperate climate is ideal for maize cultivation, and it possible to harvest crops several times a year. Frost rarely occurs as it does at higher altitudes in the region. The high agricultural potential in The Valley of Oaxaca has certainly contributed to making this area become the locus of the first complex societies in the Valley of Oaxaca.
The first scientific investigation of Guiengola were made by Eduard Seler in 1892, other studies were made subsequently by Aureliano Estrada in 1896. Modern research was carried out in the 1970s by David Andrew Peterson, further excavations and investigation is still required.
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Wikipedia