Cuicuilco

There is one of the most ancient Indian pyramids – Cuicuilco – in the south of Mexico City. It?s name, translated from Nahuatl means "the place of hymns or prayers". Cuicuilco is the first large-scale specimen of architecture in Central Mexico.

Ancient pyramid of Cuicuilco is one of the most mysterious artifacts of country. Moreover, it is the oldest structure in the Americas. The archaeological area, where the pyramid is situated, is one of the most important in terms of the origin and development of high cultures of Mesoamerica. Here the first huge structures, built of stone, appeared as a part of a large settlement. In time of its peak ( 300-150 BC) Cuicuilco, the major spiritual and cultural center, was a home to 20-40 thousand of inhabitants. The settlement was abandoned and destroyed by an eruption of volcano Xitle, and the people inhabiting it moved to the north and joined the civilization of Teotihuacan.

The area was discovered in 1922. Its discovering has brought a fame to the scientists but also put them a lot of questions. Unlike of Egyptian analogues, Cuicuilco pyramid has a circular base with a diameter of 110 m This is a sacred place, surrounded with the graves of the ancient inhabitants of the continent as the rays. The age of the pyramid and the burials is more than 2000 years.

How did the ancient builders get the knowledge necessary to build such a majestic structure, as always, is a mystery. However, even a first glance of the black-and-white pictures of the pyramid instantly conjures up a UFO. Perhaps the ancient masters created their own places of worship on a pattern of the homes of their bloody alien gods. Undoubtedly, the residents of Cuicuilco managed to convey some of their knowledge to the people of Teotihuacan, which they joined internally, but the pyramids of Teotihuacanian civilization have rectangular base.

The area, where the city of Cuicuilco was situated, is covered with a thick layer of solidified lava. Lava field has an area of about 80 km². The research in 1956 has revealed that the uneven layers of lava, in some places getting a depth up to 10 m, were one of the main factors in maintaining of Cuicuilco. The remains of the ancient city are partially covered by modern urban buildings, so the excavation of only the part of the ancient city is possible.