Teotenanco

Teotenango occupies the summit of Tetépetl, a lava ridge overlooking the southern Valley of Toluca. Terraces, walls and ceremonial buildings cover the hill, reflecting a long sequence of occupation. The Matlatzinca made it an important centre, and its elevated position provided a commanding view across the broad valley far below.

The site was occupied long before the fifteenth century, but the growing Mexica state extended its power into Matlatzinco in the later 1400s. Mexica occupation followed at Teotenango, whose inhabitants had built and rebuilt on the hill for many generations. After the Spanish conquest the settlement on the heights declined as colonial communities developed below. Its surviving stonework preserves the layered history of the peoples who held this strategic hilltop.