Was Santiago Ahuizotla once haunted by mythical monsters? This ancient neighborhood of Azcapotzalco holds secrets that stretch back long before the Spanish arrived.
Santiago Ahuizotla is not just another neighborhood. It’s a place where ancient cultures once thrived. Imagine this area during the Preclassic Period 800 to 400 BC.
Archaeologists have found remains of the first human settlement in Atzcapotzalco here. This settlement was close to the agricultural village of Tlatilco. The people of Ahuizotla were farmers. They hunted fished and traded. They used the natural resources around them. They ate birds fish turtles rabbits hares and deer. They even used the bones of these animals as tools.
Inside their homes the fireplace was central. Families made baskets mats ropes nets bags and pottery. They used these for their homes and to trade. Bone needles helped them make textiles embroideries blankets sandals and nets. Outside they raised dogs and turkeys. These animals were also eaten.
The people of Santiago Ahuizotla honored their dead. They buried them in pits inside or near their homes. They offered tools pots and figurines.
Later around 200 AD Teotihuacan rose to power. Some important settlements appeared in Azcapotzalco. Santiago Ahuizotla San Miguel Amantla and Santa Lucia became one large site. It existed at the same time as Teotihuacan. Ahuizotla shared cultural traits with Teotihuacan. Around 450 AD Amantla grew. It became a provincial center. It was the largest city after Teotihuacan. It included the neighborhoods of Ahuizotla Amantla Tomatlán Acayucan and part of the Atzcapotzalco Refinery.
People lived in homes with rooms around patios. They built them with stone earth and wood. They covered the walls and floors with lime and ground tepetate.
After the fall of Teotihuacan around 750 AD Atzcapotzalco remained important. A new type of pottery called Coyotlatelco appeared. It mixed local and foreign styles. In Santiago Ahuizotla Alfred Tozzer excavated a mound in 1919. It was called “Loma Coyotlatelco.” The pottery style of this culture which became the Toltecs got its name from this place. The pottery was polished and decorated with red bands.
Archaeologists have found Teotihuacan Coyotlatelco Aztec and Mazapa pottery here. Santiago Ahuizotla was inhabited during all phases of Teotihuacan.
In 1986-88 construction of Metro Line 7 led to more archaeological work. Pottery from the Aztec period and “Mazapan Rojo sobre Café” were found. San Miguel Amantla Ahuizotla and Santa Lucia formed one long site. It existed at the same time as Teotihuacan.
A limestone mask was found in Santiago Ahuizotla. It has a broad forehead and flat stylized features. These are typical of the Teotihuacan style. The designs are tattooed on the cheeks. They represent face paint. The mask may have had shell or other material inlays. You can now see it in the British Museum in London.
Today Santiago Ahuizotla is still remarkable. Its church has a large atrium unlike many in Mexico City. The facade has three entrances made of quarried stone. Above is a smooth triangular alfiz framing the oculus.
The church’s interior has a single nave divided into three sections. It is covered by a vaulted ceiling. The presbytery has a neoclassical altarpiece. An octagonal dome crowns it.
As you wander these streets remember the ancient people who lived here. Imagine their lives their homes and their ceremonies. Santiago Ahuizotla is a place where the past comes alive.