The ceramics found are scattered around the area 2.4 kilometers northwest of the historic city centre. This indicates that a community of artisans and craftsmen probably lived.

The Fall of Teotihuacan

Everyone is aware of the famous metropolis (in its heyday) Teotihuacan. The gigantic pre-Columbian city still preserves Mesoamerica’s largest pyramids, a large complex of residential buildings and brilliant and well-preserved frescoes. Residents of the city approaching its final fall may begin to move into newly created villages nearby.

The find was unexpected. It bears witness to the fact that on the islands of Lake Texcoco, where Mexico City was founded, 1300 years ago there was already a permanent settlement, which used the resources of the lake environment.
– says archaeologist Juan Carlos Campos-Varela from the National Institute of History and Anthropology of Mexico (INAH).

The newly excavated settlement is thought to have been formed between AD 100 and 650 during the Teotihuacan ruralization that developed in the highlands of what is now central Mexico.

Teotihuacan City / Photo: Abimelech Castillo

The village lies 40 kilometers southwest of Teotihuacan and for a time may have been one of the few small towns to provide subsistence agriculture and fishing to the metropolis. Such settlements maintained commercial links with Teotihuacan, and new discoveries shed light on the role they played in the city’s supply network.

The first evidence of the existence of this village was discovered by archaeologist Francisco Gonzalez Ruhl during construction work in the Mexican capital in the 1960s. Based on the ceramics found, González Ruhl residents were independent fishermen and gatherers. Recent excavations have confirmed this.

Several previously unseen architectural structures were discovered, including post pits, floor coverings, canals, and an artesian well and pottery. Excavations also revealed three human burials, along with the skeletons of two adults and a child.

Villagers also seem to be skilled artists and artisans who have inherited these skills from Teotihuacan. Michael Smith, professor of archeology and director of the Teotihuacan Research Laboratory at Arizona State University, says: The Teotihuacans used the same fresco technique that Michelangelo used to paint the Sistine Chapel to decorate the walls of their homes and temples.. They also used the fresco technique on ceramic vessels. Now, with the help of chemical analysis, these ceramics can give important information about the trade between the village and the city.

Archaeologists have completed the excavation and are now analyzing the material and bones found. Much of the settlement’s extensive architecture is buried, but the site is virtually untouched by modern construction and will eventually be fully excavated.