[Aztlan] From Joseph Mountjoy on the "pecked cross circles" in Jalisco

[michael ruggeri]

      Given the recent flurry of comments regarding the circle-and- 
cross petroglyphs, I thought it important to contribute to this  
discussion some information from my investigations in Jalisco.

      Recent research in the municipality of Villa Purificacion,  
Jalisco has resulted in the location of 9 circle-and-cross  
petroglyphs, and information on several more that have yet to be  
investigated.  There are several aspects of these petroglyphs that  
contrast with some ideas submitted by Aztlan commentators, and some  
available in the published literature.

      We have Brunton Compass readings on the orientation of 7 of the  
designs (the other 2 are heavily damaged).  Three are due magnetic  
North, two are 10 and 20 degrees West of magnetic North, and two are  
15 and 30 degrees East of magnetic North (although some lines are less  
than straight).  These petroglyphs are obviously not aligned with the  
Street of the Dead orientation at Teotihuacan.  Besides, the  
overwhelming orientation of pyramidal structures at Teotihuacan is  
eastward and appears solstice related.  It seems most likely to me  
that the Purification petroglyphs were oriented to the point of the  
sun on the eastern horizon when each was pecked.

      Secondly, these petroglyphs are found in association with hamlet  
or “rancheria” settlements, not related to the orientation of any  
ceremonial or civic architecture.

      Third, they do not seem to be sight-aligned, astronomically, in  
any way, as some literature has suggested for these petroglyphs in  
other areas.

      Fourth, in contrast to the Cerro Chapin circle-and-cross  
petroglyph near Alta Vista, Zacatecas which Kelley and Kelley  
convincingly argued (based on the one case) for the use of the  
petroglyph as a registry of the Mesoamerican solar year calendar  
(based on counts of 104 pits in the exterior circle, 80 pits in the  
interior circle, and 18 pits in each of the 4 lines of the cross, 260  
pits total), the Purification petroglyphs do not confirm to this  
numerology.  For example, the best preserved has 120 pits in the  
exterior circle, not 104.  By the way, the Cero Chapin petroglyph is  
oriented 20 degrees West of North (or 75 degrees East of North).

      Lastly, we were only able to obtain sherd collections from two  
habitation sites in association Purificacion circle-and-cross  
petroglyphs.  In both cases, the identifiable sherds were 100% Late  
Postclassic.  The circle-and-cross petroglyphs from Purificacion seem  
to take the place of the Lat Postclassic square patolli-design  
petroglyphs along the coast of Jalisco, which likewise have a general  
orientation to the cardinal directions, and in a few cases have 52  
squares in the pattern.

      All this leads me to believe that here in Jalisco these circle- 
and-cross petroglyphs were patolli-like game “boards” with only a  
somewhat vague or general astronomical significance.


Mountjoy, Joseph B.
Arqueología de la zona costera de Jalisco y del municipio de Villa
Purificación.  "Miscelánea Histórica de Villa Purificación:  
Testimonios del
475 Aniversario de su Fundacion"  (Aristarco Regalado Pinedo y Juan  
Sánchez Vázquez, Coordinadores), pp. 21-39.  Ayuntamiento  
Constitucional de Villa Purificación, Jalisco.