[Aztlan] Hilltop cities

[D. M. Urquidi]

Folks:

The one civic center I know about it the one at Tepoztlan near Mexico City.
The civic center was the building at the back side of the hill. When an attack was evident (One could see the whole countryside from the top), then the population below would climb the ladder to the hilltop, the men would pull the ladder up .and the invading army (or armies would mill around the bottom of the hill not able to get any higher. Food was grown there and the temple was there for religious purposes.  A very safe haven until Ahuitzotl conquered it. His history is also on the wall mural of Atetelco at Teotihuacan duplicated at the INAH museum at Chapultepec. The ladder is the telltale glyph in that small scene.

Dea
 D. M. Urquidi
P. O. Box 49485
Austin, Texas 78765
http://www.mayalords.org
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/ancientamericas/



----- Original Message ----
From: Michael Smith <Michael.E.Smith.2 at asu.edu>
To: aztlan at lists.famsi.org
Sent: Tue, October 20, 2009 4:35:18 PM
Subject: [Aztlan] Hilltop cities

I am looking for cases of ancient cities (Mesoamerica and elsewhere)
with these spatial characteristics:



(1) Most housing is on hillsides or mountainsides; and 

(2) Most civic architecture is at the BOTTOM of the hill.



This is the situation at Calixtlahuaca. Most hilltop cities in
Mesoamerica and other regions had their civic architecture at the TOP of
the hill, for reasons of defense (and/or for symbolic reasons). But at
Calixtlahuaca, the royal palace and a large platform are at the base of
the hill, on the edge of the urban settlement, and two large temple
complexes (the circular Temple 3 and the rectangular Temple 4) are built
on massive terraces only a short distance up the slope. There is little
evidence for defensive architecture (walls, ditches) at the site. This
layout remain enigmatic, and perhaps knowing about comparative cases
will help us solve the mystery of the urban layout of the site.



If anyone knows of examples of other urban hilltop sites whose civic
architecture is at the bottom of the hill, please let me know.



Mike



Dr. Michael E. Smith

Professor of Anthropology

School of Human Evolution & Social Change

Arizona State University

www.public.asu.edu/~mesmith9/



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