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Mixcoac
Place of worship of the cloud serpent
Situated to the southwest of Mexico City and contemporary with the Mexica people and Mexico-Tenochtitlan. The site has been continually excavated, restored and managed for more than 100 years, surviving the urban expansion of recent times.
About the site
The site enjoyed an exceptional location close to the shores of a large lake, as well as the rivers and streams which descended from the mountainous zone located to the west of the city. The Mixcoac site features a variety of buildings, most notably: the main pyramid or plinth and the central patio to the north of which there is a platform with a rectangular base that retains signs of stucco. There are also walls of rooms and other buildings. The site was identified and described for the first time by Francisco Fernández del Castillo, who named it Mixcoac when he found the place name on the Uppsala or Santa Cruz Map drawn in 1550. As a result of protective measures taken against looting, Manuel Gamio appointed the archeologist Eduardo Noguera in 1920 to excavate and interpret the site.

Material from Noguera’s excavation of the site, and from more recent excavations of the surrounding areas, indicate that the site was occupied for a long period with notable archeological finds from the Xolalpan and Metepec phases of the Teotihuacan period, between 450 and 600 AD, brought to light during the construction of the San Antonio metro station. The site reached its peak during the Postclassic, which lasted from 900 to 1521 AD. The plinths of the region were enlarged, as well as the administrative and dwelling areas.

At present only a small part of the site’s administrative and ceremonial area has been preserved, which presents periods of construction identifiable from the archeological evidence. The buildings have been partially restored and the following areas are open to visitors: a pyramid dedicated to the god Mixcoactl, the eastern platform and its adjoining buildings, the central patio and its surroundings, and the western platform with its ceremonial plaza.
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Archivo técnico de arqueología del INAH
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Archivo técnico de arqueología del INAH
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Archivo técnico de arqueología del INAH
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Archivo técnico de arqueología del INAH
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Archivo técnico de arqueología del INAH
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Dirección de Estudios Arqueológicos, INAH
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Dirección de Estudios Arqueológicos, INAH
900-1521

Postclásico tardío
1400 -1521 d.n.e

Postclásico tardío

Did you know...
  • The site was first mentioned in the academic journal Ethnos in 1920, when the historian Fernández del Castillo identified the place name on the Uppsala Map.
  • An application was made for the site to be fenced to prevent looting in 1942.
  • The organizing committee of the 1968 Summer Olympics allocated funds for the consolidation of the site.
  • The archeological excavations of 1982 were the result of the construction of Line 7 of Mexico City’s metro.
Practical information
Tuesday to Sunday from 09:00 to 17:00 hrs.

Free entry


  • Extra fee for professional cameras
  • No Smoking
  • No entry with food
  • Pets not allowed
  • No Flash
Calle Pirámide, no. 7, entre calle 20 y calle 22, col. San Pedro de los Pinos, Benito Juárez, Ciudad de México

Services
  • Módulo de información
  • Sanitarios
  • Visitas guiadas
  • 5552 714919
Directory
Responsable
Roberto Gallegos Ruiz
5552 714919
17293
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Dirección de Mediateca - INAH
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Dirección de operación de sitios-INAH
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Dirección de Mediateca - INAH
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Altiplano Central
Ubicada al suroeste de la Ciudad de México y contemporánea de los mexicas y México-Tenochtitlán, el sitio ha sido investigado, intervenido y gestionado ininterrumpidamente por más de 100 años, sobreviviendo al desarrollo urbano moderno.
Situated to the southwest of Mexico City and contemporary with the Mexica people and Mexico-Tenochtitlan. The site has been continually excavated, restored and managed for more than 100 years, surviving the urban expansion of recent times.
Lugar donde se venera a la serpiente de nube
Place of worship of the cloud serpent

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