Coatetelco    *

A single small plaza surrounded by low unimpressive structures on the outskirts of a remote and difficult-to-get-to village, means that the ruins of Coatetelco can safely be omitted from a tour of the region with no sense of loss.

The bus to the village is difficult to track down. The best bet is to follow highway 95 until the ruins are signposted. Many local bus and taxi drivers do not know of the site and will instead try to direct you to Xochicalco.

History.

Culture: Tlahuica

Coatetelco was another product of the tlahuica culture who settled what is now the state of Morelos after the decline of Xochicalco. Its heyday of independence probably lasted little more than a hundred years before the great conquest of the region by the Aztec alliance in the 1430s.

For more about other Tlahuica cities, see Cultural History.

Tour.

The site is small and quick to survey. Once through the entrance, the back of the main plaza will present itself. The largest structure in evidence is the Principal Temple; a pyramidical platform with a still serviceable stairway.

To the south is a much lower platform called the Double-Stepped Base.

Opposite the Principal Temple are some differently shaped altars and a low structure that forms the back of one of the sides of a small, but well preserved ball court.