[New post] Exploring The Aztec Baths of Texcotzingo
Ken Lawrence posted: "Texcotzingo, a former Aztec botanical garden, spa and royal palace, is one of Central Mexico's most obscure archaeological sites. But it shouldn't be. This fascinating hilltop site was founded by Nezahualcoyotl, the legendary poet-king of Texcoco. And it " Sailingstone Travel
Texcotzingo, a former Aztec botanical garden, spa and royal palace, is one of Central Mexico's most obscure archaeological sites. But it shouldn't be. This fascinating hilltop site was founded by Nezahualcoyotl, the legendary poet-king of Texcoco. And it reveals a softer, more creative and intellectual side to Aztec culture than what we're used to seeing.
Founded in the 12th century by the Chichimecas, Texcoco was later taken over by a group known as Acolhua in the 14th century. Then in 1418, it was conquered by the mighty and feared city-state of Azcapotzalco.
The prince Nezahualcoyotl, the rightful heir to the Texcoco throne, was forced to flee his hometown numerous times. But he'd eventually lead a coalition of over 100,000 soldiers to conquer Azcapotzalco and then take back his homeland.
This saw the birth of the Aztec Triple Alliance, formed by the Tenochtitlan, Texcoco and Tlacopan. And for the remainder of pre-Hispanic history, Texcoco would serve as the Aztec Empire's second city.
But in stark contrast to the bloodthirsty Mexica rulers of Tenochtitlan, Texcoco was the empire's creative and intellectual center. Nezahualcoyotl would rule the city from the 1430s until his death in 1472. And during his rule, he would heavily promote things like music, poetry and other fine arts.
Just outside of Texcoco, he'd also build the elaborate palatial and spa complex of Texcotzingo, at which he would also show off his ingenious engineering skills. While much of pre-Hispanic Texcoco has been destroyed, what's left of Texcotzingo offers us a rare glimpse into what some historians have called the Athens of Mesoamerica.
Visiting Texcotzingo
Texcotzingo is completely free to visit, though it does take a little bit of effort to reach. Nevertheless, it can easily be visited as a half-day trip from Mexico City. Learn all about reaching Texcoco and Texcotzingo at the end of the article.
As visiting Texcotzingo involves moderate hiking, wearing hiking shoes or your best tennis shows would be a good idea. You should also be sure to take a hat, sunscreen and water.
Arrival in Texcoco
Arriving in the city of Texcoco from Mexico City (more below), you'll first have to take a colectivo from the city center (also more below). Tell the driver to let off when you're relatively close to the ruins, and then approach the hill from the north.
Mention that you're going to Texcoco to the average chilango (Mexico City resident), and they'll likely ask you if you're going to eat barbacoa, the type of meat for which modern Texcoco is most known.
While I'm not a foodie traveler who goes out of his way just for food, I happened to encounter a local restaurant at the base of Texcotinzgo hill, and I ordered some tasty barbacoa tacos before my ascent.
Ascending the Hill
While the hill on which Texcotzingo was built isn't that hard to climb overall, it is fairly steep and rocky, so wearing sturdy shoes would be a good idea. As you make your ascent, you'll be able to enjoy some great views of the city in the distance.
Early on in the climb, you'll pass by a mysterious tunnel entrance that has no label or signage. One wonders if it was part of Texcotzingo's elaborate irrigation system. Or perhaps it served another purpose?
Continuing further, you'll encounter your first evidence of ancient manmade structures, such as stone staircases, remnants of a wall, and a fountain. Like much of Texcotzingo, they're now in ruins. But with a bit of imagination, one can already picture the site's former splendor.
The Queen's Bath
Continue climbing and you'll eventually find yourself at the western end of the hill, home to the so-called Queen's Bath, a deep circular pool built into a huge manmade terrace.
A set of stairs takes one down into the pool, while just behind it one can see the pipes that channeled water into it from the hill's opposite side.
Near the pool is a damaged frog statue which was originally one of three. Each one represented the Triple Alliance of the Aztec Empire.
The number three is further emphasized at Texcotzingo by the presence of three main pools. But rather than the Triple Alliance, each individual pool represented a capital ruled at some point by a member of Nezahualcoyotl's lineage.
This bath represented nearby Texcoco, while the others represented Tula and Tenayuca - but more on them shortly.
Up the Middle Path
From the Queen's Bath, one has the choice of three different paths to take. You can take the left (north) path, the right (south) path, or head straight up the middle to the summit of the hill and then over it.
Whichever order you choose, those wishing to see everything at Texcotzingo will eventually have to do a little bit of backtracking.
I decided to start by walking to the summit before eventually encircling the base of the hill near the end of my visit.
As you make your way to the summit, the first landmark you'll encounter is the 'Patio of the Gods.' Notice how the natural rock of the hill has been flattened to form the temple's back wall.
It's a rare example of monolithic architecture that's not commonly seen in Mesoamerica, aside from the temple complex of Malinalco - also built by the Aztecs.
Further up the hill is a temple dedicated to the rain god, Tlaloc. While not much is left of the temple itself, carvings of the deity's face in the stones remain strikingly clear.
It's only fitting that Texcotzingo, with its numerous pools and lush greenery, would be dedicated to Tlaloc. Not only did Tlaloc preside over water, but in Mesoamerican cosmology, he ruled over a paradise realm known as Tlalocan.
It would appear that Nezahualcoyotl was attempting to create an earthly version of Tlalocan when designing Texcotzingo.
While it was a cloudy day during my visit, looking east from Texcotzingo's summit, the ancient inhabitants would've been able to see the summit of Mount Tlaloc itself.
The summit of the mountain was (and still is) home to a large Tlaloc temple to which the Aztec elite would make an annual pilgrimage. What's more, is that Texcotzingo's main water source was a spring situated near Mount Tlaloc's base!
The East Side
Descending the hill and coming down its eastern side, you'll encounter a series of relatively well-preserved manmade terraces. And not far from the summit, you'll find what appears to be a small manmade cave.
While no informational signage indicates the cave's purpose, there appeared to be traces of religious offerings at the time of my visit.
During my prior ascent of Mount Tlaloc, I encountered a modern-day shrine at the summit, to which locals still bring offerings like fruit and incense.
Even centuries after the departure of the Spanish, it seems like the rain deity is still revered to a certain extent in this part of Mexico, meaning that the Cult of Tlaloc has persisted for over 2000 years.
Finally reaching the hill's eastern base, you'll encounter what appears to be the remnants of another temple. Walking up the staircase, you'll find a large empty chamber carved out of the natural rock, with a small square altar in the center.
Interestingly, Nezahualcoyotl was said to have believed that all the Mesoamerican deities were merely aspects of one indefinable supreme being, not unlike the concept of Brahman in Hindu philosophy.
And supposedly, he built an empty temple to this deity in which no sacrifices were allowed. Could this have been it?
In any case, Nezahualcoyotl's religious ideas would never quite catch on long-term, especially when Tenochtitlan, the Aztec Empire's dominant city, was so obsessed with conquest, war and sacrifice.
The Aqueduct & Beyond
To the east of the hill is what's arguably Texcotzingo's most remarkable feature: its aqueduct. It was this long stone construction that brought water from Mount Tlaloc to the hill's base, filling Texcotzingo's pools and watering its gardens.
And the mastermind behind the design was said to have been Nezahualcoyotl himself.
Nezahualcoyotl, in fact, was so renowned for his design and engineering abilities that the Mexica also asked him to construct the causeways and aqueducts of Tenochtitlan.
Continuing east, you'll see how far Texcotzingo expands beyond the main hill as you encounter more terraces, drainage pipes and elaborate fountains.
Continuing even further, I reached a stone reservoir before I decided to turn around and return to the hill.
(I saw a number of visitors coming from this direction, so if you're driving, you may be able to find a parking spot to the east of Texcotzingo rather than the northern access point mentioned above.)
The Northern Path
As mentioned above, I initially made my way from the west end of the hill to the east by walking along the top. But the hill is also entirely surrounded by a flat circular pathway. I decided to explore this area next, first beginning with the northern path.
There's not a whole lot to see in this section, but the main highlight is the 'Bath of the Concubines.' Unfortuantely, it's been largely destroyed and is difficult to make out.
As mentioned earlier, the three main baths of Texcotzingo represented three different capitals ruled by Nezahualcoyotl's lineage. This particular bath represented Tula, the ancient capital of the Toltecs, to whom Texcoco's rulers could trace their ancestry.
The Southern Path
I eventually found myself back at the Queen's Bath, and next it was time to take the southern path.
As you walk along, you'll notice more water channels made of stone before reaching one of Texcotzingo's most important areas.
The bath here was said to have been the private bath of the king himself, Nezahualcoyotl. And in regards to ancestral capitals, it represented Tenayuca.
Located north of modern-day Mexico City, Tenayuca was originally founded by a tribe of Chichimecas, who later allied themselves with the Acolhuas.
As mentioned, Texcoco had long been ruled by the Acolhuas, and Nezahualcoyotl was of Acolhua descent on his fathers's side. He was also Mexica on his mother's side, and it was the Mexica who would later conquer and expand Tenayuca's pyramid.
But this part of Texcotzingo was more than just a bath. It was below here that the king built his royal residence.
The water transported here via the aqueduct would not only fill up the bath, but it would also water a wide variety of plants at the lower levels of the hill. And it's here that Nezahualcoyotl grew both plants that were native to this area along with many others from regions under the Aztec Empire's control.
The garden was not merely meant to be beautiful, but it was also a place where various medicinal plants were cultivated and studied. Surely, the botanical garden that once stood at this spot played a pivotal role in the overall health and wellbeing of Nezahualcoyotl and also his subjects.
Los Melones
I'd solely come to the Texcoco area to see Texcotzingo. But as I was making my way down the hill, a thought occurred to me: If Texcoco was one of the mightiest and most sophisticated cities of the Aztec Empire, then surely there must be some remnants of it in the modern city?
After a quick search, I found my answer. There is indeed a small archaeological site in the heart of Texococo known as Los Melones. Unfortunately, however, it's not nearly as interesting as Texcotzingo and it also costs 60 pesos to enter.
Los Melones is one of those sites that seems to have a lot of potential, but only a fraction of it has been excavated thus far. Aside from the edges of the huge manmade platform, most of the site is entirely covered in grass, appearing as little more than an open field.
A few kilometers south of Texcoco's city center is yet another archaeological site known as Huexotla. But I decided to give that one a miss, instead returning to the bus station to get a ride back to Mexico City's TAPO.
As mentioned above, Texcotzingo is situated on the outskirts of the city of Texcoco in Mexico state. To get to Texcoco from Mexico City, you'll first need to head to the TAPO bus station, the easternmost of the capital's four main bus terminals.
While there are a few different bus companies that go there, one of the main ones is the aptly-named Autobuses Texcoco. Buses depart regularly every 30-60 minutes, so there's no need to worry about advanced reservations. The one-way journey lasts about an hour.
(You may also be able to find some buses from the Autobuses del Norte station as well).
Arriving in Texcoco, a few blocks west of the central square (see map above) is an area with lots of combis/colectivos (shared minivans) taking people to a wide variety of locations. With no signage in the area, you'll have to wait by the road and check the windows of the vehicles.
The area you want to go is called San Nicolas Tlaminca. See if you can find this written on one of the vehicle's windows, or better yet, tell a local you want to visit Texcotzingo and they should tell you where to stand.
The bus won't stop right beside the hill, so I just decided to tell the driver to let me off when we were relatively close. And from there I walked about 10 minutes or so to the base of the hill. As mentioned above, you should be able to find a barbacoa restaurant near the start of the trail.
When finished with my visit, I retraced my steps and headed to one of the area's main roads. I also confirmed with a local shopkeeper that there would indeed be minivans headed for central Texcoco passing by.
Back in the center, I made a quick stope at the Los Melones ruins before taking a bus back to Mexico City.
Mexico City is an incredibly massive city of nearly 10 million people. And its various tourist attractions are scattered throughout, making choosing where to stay a challenge. But here are a few suggestions to help you decide:
Centro HistĂłrico
As the name suggests, this is the historical part of the city built by the Spanish. But they constructed it over the former Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, even filling in the lake around it. As such, it's the district where you're going to find most the significant landmarks from both the colonial and pre-Hispanic era.
Just keep in mind that at the time of writing, Line 1 of the subway which runs through this area is down for maintenance.
The Roma and Condesa neighborhoods, which are adjacent to one another, are widely considered Mexico City's hippest districts. They're also hugely popular with foreigners, so it may be a good place to stay if you're not comfortable speaking Spanish.
On the higher end, Roso Guest House is conveniently located and includes free breakfast.
Other popular neighborhoods include Coyoacán, home to the Frida Kahlo Museum, and just an interesting place to wander around in general. But while worth visiting, it's not a very convenient base from which to explore the rest of the city.
If you plan on taking a lot of day trips, another good option is to stay near one of the city's main bus stations. The problem is, however, that the city has no less than FOUR main stations – to the west, north, east and south of the center.
While there's no perfect option, you could get a head start on visiting Teotihuacan by staying somewhere near the northern station (Autobuses del Norte).
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