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Ihuatzio is an archeological site located at the southern slopes of “Cerro Tariaqueri”, just north of the Ihuatzio town, in the Tzintzuntzan municipality, of Michoacán state.〔 The ancient site is some 7 kilometers south-east of Tzintzuntzan, on the south-eastern shore of the Lake Pátzcuaro. Human settlements vestiges are registered from two different occupational periods; the first occurred between 900 and 1200 CE, corresponding to Nahuatl language speaking groups; the second group corresponding to the maximum development reached by the Purépecha Culture, between 1200 and 1530 CE. This archaeological site was built on an artificially leveled plateau, and it is considered very important, for the Michoacán prehispanic history, it was an astronomical observatory and ceremonial center. Although it is relatively small, the pyramids dedicated to “Curicaueri” and “Xaratanga” are remarkable. A sculpture representing a Chac Mool〔Chac-Mool is the name given to a type of Prehispanic Mesoamerican stone statue, it depicts a human figure in a reclining position with the head up and turned to one side, holding a tray over the stomach. Chac-Mool statues are found in or around temples in Toltec and other post-Classic central Mexican sites, and in post-Classic Maya civilization sites with heavy Toltec influence, such as Chichen Itza.〕 (Toltec culture characteristic element) was found; as well as a series of roads and walls surrounding the site. The prehispanic settlement fully covers a low-lying plateau and kept a strategic location at the extreme west of the Lake and other dominant sites as Tzintzuntzan. ==Background== According to the archeological evidence, there has been human habitation within the territory of Michoacán state for at least 10,000 years. In prehispanic times there were a number of migration waves into the area including the Pirinda, Nahua, Huetamo, Colima, Purépecha and other peoples. There are sites of formal settlements from all Mesoamerican period. Important sites include El Opeño and those in Curutarán, Tepalcatepec Apatzingán, Zinapécuaro and Coalcoman. The territory has been inhabited by the Nahuas, Otomis, Matlatzincas, Pirindas and Tecos as well as the Purépecha.〔 The main prehispanic civilization of the state is that of the Purépecha, which was centered in the Lake Pátzcuaro area.〔 Before the 13th century, both Nahua and Purépecha peoples were here, sustaining themselves by agriculture and fishing. The Purépecha are descendants of a late arrival of Chichimecas who came from the north. At Lake Pátzcuaro, they came upon people with similar cultures to their own but who were more technically and socially advanced. The formation of the Purépecha state began in the 13th century, when these people started their own dominion at Uayameo, today Santa Fe de la Laguna and becoming dominant over the entire Lake Pátzcuaro area by the 15th century. Conquest of neighboring tribes and territories occurred between 1401 and 1450, absorbing peoples with different cultures and languages into the empire. By the late 15th century, this state rivaled that of the Aztecs, expanding their territory over much of what is now Michoacán and into part of Colima, Nayarit, Querétaro, Guanajuato, Guerrero and Jalisco. The Aztecs attempted to invade Purépecha but were repelled. This would later cause the Purépecha to deny the Aztecs aid in the defense of Tenochtitlan against the Spanish.〔〔 The history of Michoacán has been studied from archaeological remains and other historical resources, such as the literary work “Relación de Michoacán”〔 written in 1542, and it is known that the first settlers of the state were several Chichimeca tribes which arrived in different epochs and consequently evolved differently. The archeological sites found in the state, have helped clarify the history of the birth and development of ethnic groups which provided the essence of the Michoacán culture, dating back to the formative or Preclassical period (1500 to 200 BCE), the classical (800 BCE to 800 CE) and Postclassical (800 to 1000 CE), among whose sites are included: El Opeño, Curutarán, la Villita, Tepalcatepec, Apatzingán, Zinapécuaro, Coalcomán, San Felipe de los Alzati, Tzintzuntzan, Tingambato, Pátzcuaro, Zacapu, Uruapan, Tzitzio, etc.〔 The Michoacán territory was inhabited by the Purépecha people, which developed as a dominant culture and imposed their economic, religious, military and cultural hegemony to other ethnic groups who also inhabited the region, as the Nahua, Otomi, Matlatzincas or Pirindas and Tecos. In the region, in addition to the Tarascan or Purépecha language, Coacomeca, Xilotlazinca Colimote dialects, Pirinda, Mazahua, Sayulteco, Nahuatl and Teca were spoken.〔 The area has been inhabited at least since the early Pre-classic period. Early lithic evidence from before 2500 BC like fluted points and stone utensils are found at some Megafauna kill sites. The earliest radio-carbon dates of archeological sites fall around 1200 BC. The best known early preclassical culture of Michoacán was the Chupicuaro culture. Chupícuaro sites are mostly found on lake islands which can be seen as a sign of it having traits relating it to the later Tarascan cultural patterns. In the early Classical period, ballcourts and other artifacts demonstrate a Teotihuacan influence in the Michoacán region. In Michoacán there are over 45 known archaeological sites although only seven are open to the public, among these are Tzintzuntzan, Ihuatzio and Tingambato, which represent the rich Purépecha culture, although it is known that remains of previous cultures are hidden under the bases of these and other ceremonial centers. The Purépecha people dominated a large territory which includes the States of Michoacán, Guanajuato, Querétaro, part of Jalisco and Guerrero, was an indomitable race that resisted the onslaught of the Aztecs, who could never dominate them, however, and due to their astronomical predictions voluntarily submitted to the Spanish domain, willingly converting to Christianity.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ihuatzio (archaeological site)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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