Culture:
Late Classic to Epiclassic, Olmec and Xicalanca cultures
Location:
State of Tlaxcala, near the town of San Miguel del Milagro
Dates Occupied:
AD 350-900
Architecture to Visit:
Red Temple, Temple of the Painted Scorpion, Temple of Venus. Also known for its Battle Mural, 22 meters long and one of the longest wall paintings in Mesoamerica.
Museum/Gift Shop:
The Cacaxtla Site Museum, which has galleries with artifacts from several seasons at Cacaxtla, is located in San Miguel del Milagro. A bookshop is located on site.
Reading:
The INAH website has tons of information about the site, how to get there, and what you want to know before going.
Excavators and Excavations:
Angel Garcia Cook, Luis Reyes García, Pedro Armillas
Why You Should Go:
The name Cacaxtla means "carrying case", more or less, in the Aztec language of Nahuatl. The site was the location of a city supporting as many as 10,000 people, and is considered one of the first cities of the Olmec civilization.
