Established around 1500 B.C., Chalcatzingo, which means venerated place of sacred water in the Náhuatl language, is an important prehistoric site in central Mexico that initially developed as a small agricultural community. (...)
Established around 1500 B.C., Chalcatzingo, which means venerated place of sacred water in the Náhuatl language, is an important prehistoric site in central Mexico that initially developed as a small agricultural community. At its height, between 800 and 300 B.C., the area was an important ceremonial center for Olmec culture, evidenced by the surviving temples and stelae that transformed the landscape during that period. The temples and stelae display many religious images, including those that refer to creation mythology. Over time, the effects of cattle grazing, poor drainage, vandalism, looting, and quarrying in the surrounding mountains, caused deterioration of the site. Exposure to the elements has contributed to the erosion of surfaces, marring carvings on the sculpture.
