Xitle volcano buried Cuicuilco under ash and lava. Old dating (~100 CE) neatly explained Teotihuacan's refugee-driven growth. But reanalysis redates Xitle to 245-315 CE, meaning Teotihuacan's pyramids stood before Cuicuilco fell. Cholula's Great Pyramid grew from ~200 BCE, surpassing the Pyramid of the Sun by 600 CE.
Redating of Xitle eruption challenges Cuicuilco as Teotihuacan's inspiration
MexicoDating
Key facts
- Volcano Xitle's eruption covered Cuicuilco with ash and lava, forcing inhabitants to flee.
- Previous dating placed the Xitle eruption around 100 CE, neatly explaining Teotihuacan's population surge as refugee-driven.
- Reanalysis redates the Xitle eruption to after 300 CE, meaning Teotihuacan's pyramids were already built before Cuicuilco was destroyed.
- Cuicuilco's great pyramid is circular (25 m tall, 135 m diameter), unlike the square-based Pyramids of the Sun and Moon at Teotihuacan.
- Cholula began building its Great Pyramid around 200 BCE as a rectangular structure, with larger phases from 200 CE onward; by 350 CE it exceeded the Pyramid of the Moon, and by 600 CE it exceeded the Pyramid of the Sun.
- Cholula's chronology parallels Teotihuacan but lags slightly behind, making it an unlikely direct inspiration.
Site mentioned
Sources
(PDF) Archaeomagnetic Dating Of The Eruption Of Xitle Volcano, Basin ...academia.edu
The Xitle eruption is dated to a mean of 2086 cal yr BP with a 95% confidence interval. Bootstrap analysis yields mean radiocarbon dates of 2041 and 2035 cal ...
Xitle: The Volcano that Engulfed a Cityvolcano.oregonstate.edu
Located in the southwestern part of Mexico City, Xitle is a monogenetic volcano, having only erupted during one period, between 245-315 AD.
Archaeomagnetic Dating of the Eruption of Xitle Volcano, Basin of ...laiesken.net
Here, we analyze radiocarbon dates and paleomagnetic data for the Xitle lava flows. New age estimates for the eruption are determined from ...
Fragment of the mural paint of the Xitle eruption and impact on Cuicuilco ...researchgate.net
Dating the Xitle eruption and Cuicuilco abandonment has long been attempted. Contrasting results with radiocarbon dates around 2000 and 1670 yr BP have been ...
Xitleen.wikipedia.org
Xitle erupted during the period AD 245-315, according to the results of radiocarbon dating. Among the consequences of this eruption were the formation ...
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