El Zapotal

El Zapotal is a Totonac archaeological site located in the region known as Mixtequilla between the Blanco and Papaloapan rivers in the Ignacio de la Llave Municipality in the Veracruz state of Mexico. It sits among the ruins of an ancient Totonac city which flourished from 600 to 900 CE, during what archaeologists call the Classical Period.
Its finding has great significance for the understanding of ancient cultures of Veracruz and Mexico.
History.
Three closely related native cultures inhabited what is now the state of Veracruz: the Huastecs, the Totonac and the Olmec.
The area occupied by the Huastecs ranges across southern Tamaulipas which is part of San Luis Potosí and Puebla, Querétaro, Hidalgo to the north of Cazones River. The oldest Huastec remains have been found in the Pánuco area. The Totonacs settled in the center of the state, with El Tajín serving as the main ceremonial center. The Olmecs settled in the south, bordering the State of Tabasco.
Totonac culture.
The name "Totonac" is translated by some as "three hearts" in a possible reference to the Totonacs' three main urban centres. Totonac culture reached its apex during the Mesoamerican Classical period when ceremonial centers such as El Tajín, Yohualichán, Nepatecuhtlán, Las Higueras, Nopiloa, and Zapotal were built. The Totonac economy was both agricultural and commercial and the Totonacs built large urban centers. Totonac culture is distinctive, with a variety of ceramics, stone sculptures, monumental architecture, and advanced urban design.
Totonac culture at one stage formed a part of the Tula Empire. Around 1450 the Totonacs were conquered by the Triple Alliance (Mexico) Nahuas and joined their armies. By the early 16th century, the Totonacs had come under the dominion of the Aztecs.
In 1519, a meeting between 30 Totonac cities held in the city of Cempoala established an alliance with the Spanish for the conquest of Tenochtitlan. The Totonac voluntarily contributed 13,000 warriors to the conquest, accompanying approximately 500 Spaniards. The Totonacs reasoned that allying with the Spanish would free them from Aztec rule. However once the Aztec empire was defeated the Totonacs, including those of Cempoala, became subject to the Spanish empire and its religious and cultural influence. 
Totonac language.
The Totonacan languages are a family of closely related languages spoken by approximately 200,000 Totonac and Tepehua people in the states of Veracruz, Puebla, and Hidalgo in Mexico. The Totonacan languages are not demonstrably related to any other languages, although they share numerous areal features with other languages of the Mesoamerican Sprachbund, such as the Mayan languages and Nahuatl.
Although traditionally divided into two languages, Totonac and Tepehua, the various dialects of the Totonacan language family are not always mutually intelligible. Thus Totonac and Tepehua are classified as separate language families and some of the dialects could be classified as subgroups of their own. 
In the list below, standard terminology is used for dialects that are named differently in published academic works, e.g. "Upper Necaxa Totonac" instead of "Totonac of Patla-Chicontla".
Like many native Mexican languages, the Totonacan languages have slowly been replaced by Spanish. However, the Totonacan Manteca dialect is in the greatest danger of disappearing. Other dialects are still spoken in several communities in the states of Puebla, Veracruz, Hidalgo and San Luis Potosí.
Discovery.
The site of El Zapotal was discovered in 1971 when several human burials with clay figure offerings were uncovered as well with offerings of clay sculptures. The sculptures included a group of women with naked torsos, identified as representations of Cihuatéotl, the lady of the land; these representations are now exhibited in the Museo de Antropología de Xalapa.
Site.
El Zapotal is a significant Totonac site whose apogee seems to have occurred at the end of the Late Classical Period and the beginning of the Early Postclassical period. Although it contains many buildings, as is typical in Mexico, only a few have been explored.
There is an ossuary and many ceramic objects, some of which have excellent craftsmanship. Among these is a beautiful ceramic sculpture found on the walls of one of the buildings, which was an integral part of that building decoration and was made with uncooked clay.
It is thought that it corresponds to a shrine dedicated to the Death God. There were many offerings of clay figures, as well as nearly a hundred individuals, which constitutes one of the more complex and lavish funerary rituals known. The offerings cover several stratigraphic layers, which are believed to have been dedicated to the Lord of the dead.
Mictlantecuhtli.
The statuette, which molded from unbaked clay, rammed, and painted, is an image of Mictlantecuhtli, the Death God, represented as an emaciated person. The piece shows a grave expression on his face. The sculpture sits on a lavish throne, and the backrest is integrated into the huge headdress worn by the numen, where there are human skulls in profile and the heads of fantastic lizards and jaguars. The Death Lord, representing the essence of life and death, is thus a deity represented in an intermediate state: a living dead. The body of the statuette is emaciated, as its torso, arms, and head, with some joints, bones, ribs, and skull exposed. It is believed that the material with which the eyes were made depicted an alive look. In addition, its tongue hangs out as a symbol of the dark underworld; the mocking expression displays the aesthetic sensitivity of Mesoamerican thought. 
Fear of death and beauty mingle when this figure, incredible testimony of the pre-Hispanic past, is seen for the first time. It is located at a side of the sanctuary, where the side walls were decorated with priests processions scenes on a red background, with the figure of the god, its throne, and headdress; some segments painted the same color are also preserved.
Because of its quality, it is considered one of the most outstanding Mesoamerican cultural manifestations because all are elaborated with clay, together constitute a unique artistic style. Although most of the pieces found are in the Jalapa anthropology and history Museum, "The Lord of death" (Mitlantecuhtli) is located in the Zapotal Site Museum.
Because of its fragility, the sculpture was kept on site, and a museum was founded there.
The Mictlantecuhtli deity.
Mictlantecuhtli (also Mictlantecuhtzi, o Tzontémoc): death lord and Lord of Mictlán, also the northern god, is one of those holding heaven.
"'Mictlantecuhtli"' (Nahuatl word meaning (tecuh-tli) Lord of the underworld (Mictlán)) is an Aztec, Zapotec and Mixtec underworld God and of the dead (not the Catholic concept of hell), was also called Popocatzin (from "popoca" 'smoking'), was, therefore, the God of the shadows. Together with his wife Mictecacihuatl, governed the underworld or Mictlan Kingdom. Exercised sovereignty over the "nine underground rivers" and on the souls of the dead. He is depicted as a human skeleton with a skull with many teeth. Associated with spiders, bats, and owls, when drawn was represented with black hair and stellar (star) eyes.
The Sculpture on the right was found in the Eagle warrior House, in a sacred place of the Templo Mayor of Mexico-Tenochtitlan.
Cihuatéotl.
Female goddesses, warriors, Sun companions, grandiose and eternal. Fertility Symbol and lineage willingness, example of courage and deliverance. Their eyes closed, open mouth, singing to death, death or singing, eternal life and the struggle between what man is and what the gods represent.
Magnificent clay sculptures, samples of mastery and mystery, walking towards Mictlan, red, blue, adorned with snails and extraordinary snakes, burning copal pleasing the gods of the sky. Are the El Zapotal Cihuatéotl, the best example of female power, of the respect that its characteristic strength gives them.
Their eyes closed as if hiding something more than a glance behind her eyelids, hiding life reality that sometimes was sublime. Mouth open, as if expressing the mother’s pain, and recounted the history that hundreds of women like her lived.
There are several representations and names related, in Azteca mythology.
The Cihuateteo.
The Cihuateteo or Cihuapipiltin in Aztec mythology were spirits, (gods of excess), Macuiltonaleque sisters (excess gods) who were souls of noble women dead at child birth (mociuaquetzque). Contrary to the Civatateo honored as men killed in battle.
The Cihuateteo were pale white faces skeletons with eagle feet instead of hands and dressed with lace dresses decorated with tibias crossed.
The Codex Borgia describes an archetype of the "Great Mother": the "Cihuapipiltin" ("divine women"), also known as "Cihuateteo" ("noble women"), who were women dying at their first childbirth. These women (or mocihuaquetzque) were deified and worshipped with extensive magical objects; their body parts were prized objects for warriors and mages, who saw them as magical instruments. Their place in the hierarchy allowed them to be buried in the Cihuapipiltin temple patio. In fact, together with the warriors killed in battle, they were considered part of the sun's retinue. They were heading towards the west, or "cihuatlampa" (the women's way), to then accompany the sun on their daily journey there; leaving it close to where it stands and then descending into the Earth. Likewise, they were equated with warriors and women killed in war, and they were held responsible for adultery.
These women appear nine times in the codex represented as having newly given birth, with naked torso, full and heavy breasts, and folds in the belly. There are four Cihuateteo in sheet 46 (fig. 13). Their body paint is yellow with the body in profile to show the folds in the womb and their status as having newly given birth. On their black hair, they wear as a wig the insignia made of amatzontli paper with feather ornate, to indicate their character as sacrificed (killed) in the sacred action of conceiving life. Their hair is tied with a wide leather strip adorned in the front with a larger size feather. Between the latter and the wig, protrude two hair tufts placed vertically.
Vanilla legend.
In the time of Yenistle III King of the Totonaca dynasty, one of his wives gave birth to a girl called Tzacopomtziza (dawn shining star), because of her singular beauty was consecrated to the cult of the Tonacayohua, carer of seeding, bread and food.
But a Prince named Zkatan-Oxga (young venison) fell in love with her, while he knew that such sacrilege was punishable with death, one day when Tzacopomtziza came out of the temple, he abducted her and escaped with her to the mountain, on their way a monster wrapped them with fire waves forcing them back to where the priests anfgrily awaited them and before Zkatan-Oxga could speak, both their throats were cut. Their hearts were thrown in the goddess altar.
When the grass dried, from their blood began to sprout a shrub, with thick foliage giving birth to a climbing orchid covering the thick foliage with amazing speed and exuberance, perfuming the ambient with its aroma. Jose de Jesús Núñez and Domínguez.
See also.
Other archaeological sites in Veracruz: