
Pyramid of El Pueblito
The
Pyramid of El Pueblito, known as El
Cerrito (little hill) to those living in its immediate
surroundings, is an archaeological site in the Mexican State of Querétaro
, in the settlement of El Pueblito, seat of
the municipality of Corregidora
.
This
pyramid, located within the metropolitan
area of Santiago de Querétaro
, is part of the archaeological zone of El
Cerrito. This site had an important population prior to
the
Spanish conquest of
Mexico.
During the 1st
millennium there were several settlements in the BajÃo area, this being one of the most important
ruins in the central region of Mexico
.
It is presumed that its history stretches back two thousand years,
beginning when the first settlers arrived in the valley of the El
Pueblito river, an area suitable for
agriculture. Some current settlements that were
populated during this era include El Pueblito, Santa Bárbara, La
Negreta, El Recodo, El Shindó, El Molinito and La Cueva. The people
worked the land,
dammed the river in order to
irrigate their fields and opened roads for
communication, making El Cerrito the first nucleus of spiritual and
political importance in the region.
The
pyramid, similar in size to the Pyramid of the Moon in Teotihuacán
, was erected at some time before 1000 AD.
Important relics have been found, such as sculptures, tombstones,
calendar glyphs and many figurines. For more than a millennium the
site was exposed to the climate and negative human intervention,
suffering enormously. As late as the twentieth century the area was
subject to vandalism and theft: since there was no control over it,
visitors could remove whatever they found. It was not until 1995
that Mexico's
National
Institute of Anthropology and History (
Instituto Nacional
de AntropologÃa e Historia, INAH) began restoration projects
and was able to rescue some articles, which can now be seen in the
Regional Museum in Santiago de Querétaro.
In the open space dubbed
Plaza de las Esculturas (Place of
the Sculptures), works have recovered 13 skulls, 18 jaws and
numerous teeth and other bones. They correspond to male individuals
of between 18 and 35 years of age.