La Quemada

La Quemada is a Mesoamerican complex in the Malpaso Valley of Zacatecas, Mexico, active from the 4th to 12th centuries AD with its peak between 600-850 AD when it controlled 220 surrounding settlements. The site features the Hall of Columns with eleven masonry columns approximately six metres high, a Votive Pyramid with 33-foot sloping walls, and the largest ballcourt measuring 262 by 49 feet. A Great Wall stretches 605 metres long, averaging 4.5 metres high and 3.75 metres wide. Buildings were constructed from volcanic porphyritic rhyolite slabs coated with clay stucco and lime whitewash. Its cultural identity remains debated, with proposed links to Chicomostoc, Teotihuacan, or independent development.