Cuicuilco

Cuicuilco is an archaeological site located on the southern shore of Lake Texcoco in the southeastern Valley of Mexico, in what is today the borough of Tlalpan in Mexico City [1]. The site was occupied until its destruction by the eruption of Xitle [1]. Cuicuilco also represents one of the early sites in Meso America to show state formation [1]. Cuicuilco was founded as a farming village, but provides evidence of early religious practices, including stone offerings and the use of ceramics as grave goods [1]. The city grew around a large ceremonial center with pyramids and an associated urban area that included plazas and avenues bordering a series of small, shallow pools [1]. The population at the city's peak is estimated at 20,000 people [1]. The features of the site include terraces, various buildings, fortifications, and irrigation ditches and canals [1]. The site of Cuicuilco is covered by a dense volcanic lava field known as the Pedregal de San Ángel [1].