El Sabinito: Difference between revisions
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El Sabinito was discovered in 1987 by Aureliano Medina in a region of Tamaulipas characterized by its virgin, tropical jungles and suffocating humidity.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mexicodesconocido.com.mx/zona-arqueologica-de-el-sabinito-tamaulipas.html|title=Zona arqueológica El Sabinito, Tamaulipas|date=2010-08-31|website=México Desconocido|language=es|access-date=2020-04-16}}</ref> Today, this region lies within the municipality of [[Soto la Marina Municipality|Soto la Marina]] and north of the [[Sierra de Tamaulipas]]. |
El Sabinito was discovered in 1987 by Aureliano Medina in a region of Tamaulipas characterized by its virgin, tropical jungles and suffocating humidity.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mexicodesconocido.com.mx/zona-arqueologica-de-el-sabinito-tamaulipas.html|title=Zona arqueológica El Sabinito, Tamaulipas|date=2010-08-31|website=México Desconocido|language=es|access-date=2020-04-16}}</ref> Today, this region lies within the municipality of [[Soto la Marina Municipality|Soto la Marina]] and north of the [[Sierra de Tamaulipas]]. |
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Compared to other Huastec ruins in Tamaulipas such as the Balcon de Montezuma and the [[:es:Tammapul|Pyramid of Tammapul]], El Sabinito was the most urbanized and culturally significant.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sotolamarina.gob.mx/turismo/historico/|title=Municipio de Soto la Marina, Tam.|website=www.sotolamarina.gob.mx|access-date=2020-04-16}}</ref> The Huastecs of Tamaulipas originally belonged to the [[Mayan civilization|Mayan culture]] |
Compared to other Huastec ruins in Tamaulipas, such as the Balcon de Montezuma and the [[:es:Tammapul|Pyramid of Tammapul]], El Sabinito was the most urbanized and culturally significant.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sotolamarina.gob.mx/turismo/historico/|title=Municipio de Soto la Marina, Tam.|website=www.sotolamarina.gob.mx|access-date=2020-04-16}}</ref> The Huastecs of Tamaulipas originally belonged to the [[Mayan civilization|Mayan culture]] but migrated northward to the present-day state around 1300 BCE. Upon their arrival, the immigrant Huastecs made a concerted effort to preserve their Mayan identity. They resisted assimilation for approximately one thousand years until finally appropriating aspects of their nomadic neighbors' cultures in 300 CE. While archaeological remains indicate that human activity around the [[Soto La Marina River|Soto la Marina River]] sprung up as early as 10,000 BCE,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.inah.gob.mx/zonas/107-zona-arqueologica-el-sabinito|title=Zona Arqueológica El Sabinito|website=www.inah.gob.mx|access-date=2020-04-16}}</ref> the Huastecs' construction and inhabitance of El Sabinito only began in 200 CE. El Sabinito showed signs of decline around 1000 CE, and its last signs of life disappeared in 1300 CE.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mexicana.cultura.gob.mx/en/repositorio/detalle?id=_suri:MEDIATECAGUIA:TransObject:5bc501667a8a0222efe6898b&word=El%20Sabinito,&r=0&t=65|title=El Sabinito|last=Mena Cruz|first=Alberto|date=|website=Mexicana|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}}</ref> |
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El Sabinito was a town of more than 600 foundations.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=A. Ramirez Castilla|first=Gustavo|date=September 2004|title=From Semi-Desert to Jungle The Ancient Peoples of Tamaholipa|url=http://www.revistascisan.unam.mx/Voices/pdfs/6819.pdf|journal=Voices of Mexico|volume=68|pages=98|via=National Autonomous University of Mexico}}</ref> Based on the discovery of |
El Sabinito was a town of more than 600 foundations.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=A. Ramirez Castilla|first=Gustavo|date=September 2004|title=From Semi-Desert to Jungle The Ancient Peoples of Tamaholipa|url=http://www.revistascisan.unam.mx/Voices/pdfs/6819.pdf|journal=Voices of Mexico|volume=68|pages=98|via=National Autonomous University of Mexico}}</ref> Based on the discovery of 600 residential structures out of those foundations, Mexican archaeologists approximate that El Sabinito had a population of over 2,500 inhabitants at its peak.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sic.gob.mx/ficha.php?table=zona_arqueologica&table_id=105|title=El Sabinito|website=Secretaría de Cultura/Sistema de Información Cultural|language=es|access-date=2020-04-16}}</ref> |
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Due to its placement atop the tallest of a group of irregular hills and the presence |
Due to its placement atop the tallest of a group of irregular hills and the presence of formidable terraces and embankments, El Sabinito may have functioned as a strategic point of observation which could monitor the movement of enemy nomadic tribes. As such, the makeup of El Sabinito suggests that it may have served as a military and political stronghold as well as a cultural and residential hub.<ref name=":0" /> |
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== Architecture == |
== Architecture == |
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All of the buildings within El Sabinito are very well preserved. As mentioned above, excavations of the site performed by INAH resulted in the finding of more than 600 foundations built on terraces, corridors, and plazas arranged symmetrically in a manner that demonstrates |
All of the buildings within El Sabinito are very well preserved. As mentioned above, excavations of the site performed by INAH resulted in the finding of more than 600 foundations built on terraces, corridors, and plazas arranged symmetrically in a manner that demonstrates fairly advanced knowledge of architecture.<ref name=":0" /> |
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The |
The plan of El Sabinito can be divided into two sections based on its two plazas. |
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=== Plaza 1 === |
=== Plaza 1 === |
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The first plaza is |
The first plaza is the northernmost of the two, and can be distinguished by the sizable edifices which flank it, the largest within El Sabinito.<ref>https://mexicana.cultura.gob.mx/en/repositorio/detalle?id=_suri:MEDIATECAGUIA:TransObject:5bc501667a8a0222efe6898b&word=El%20Sabinito,&r=0&t=65</ref> Outstanding among these constructions is the circular, eight-meter-high pyramid, with slabs of limestone jutting out of its sides like the arms of a windmill. This particularly conical style of pyramid has been associated with the worship of the wind god [[Ehecatl]], a patron deity of Huastec civilization.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ancient.eu/Ehecatl/|title=Ehecatl|website=Ancient History Encyclopedia|access-date=2020-04-16}}</ref> Opposite to this pyramid is a ceremonial altar measuring 2 meters by 6 meters with unevenness at the ends. |
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[[File:El_Sabinito.jpg|alt=|center|thumb|500x500px|An alternate angle of El Sabinito's largest pyramid in Plaza 1]] |
[[File:El_Sabinito.jpg|alt=|center|thumb|500x500px|An alternate angle of El Sabinito's largest pyramid in Plaza 1]] |
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Revision as of 04:08, 4 February 2021
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| Location | Soto la Marina Municipality, Tamaulipas, Mexico |
|---|---|
| Region | Sierra de Tamaulipas |
| Coordinates | 23°37′40″N 98°22′6.4″W / 23.62778°N 98.368444°W |
| History | |
| Founded | 200 CE |
| Abandoned | 1300 CE |
| Periods | Classic to Post-Classic |
| Cultures | Huastec |
| Site notes | |
| Discovered | 1987 |
El Sabinito is a Pre-Columbian ruin associated with the Huastec civilization. Located in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, El Sabinito is approximately 25 kilometers southwest and 96 kilometers east of the modern-day cities Soto la Marina and Ciudad Victoria. Alongside the Balcon de Montezuma, El Sabinito marks the northernmost boundary of Mesoamerican civilization.
History and description
El Sabinito was discovered in 1987 by Aureliano Medina in a region of Tamaulipas characterized by its virgin, tropical jungles and suffocating humidity.[1] Today, this region lies within the municipality of Soto la Marina and north of the Sierra de Tamaulipas.
Compared to other Huastec ruins in Tamaulipas, such as the Balcon de Montezuma and the Pyramid of Tammapul, El Sabinito was the most urbanized and culturally significant.[2] The Huastecs of Tamaulipas originally belonged to the Mayan culture but migrated northward to the present-day state around 1300 BCE. Upon their arrival, the immigrant Huastecs made a concerted effort to preserve their Mayan identity. They resisted assimilation for approximately one thousand years until finally appropriating aspects of their nomadic neighbors' cultures in 300 CE. While archaeological remains indicate that human activity around the Soto la Marina River sprung up as early as 10,000 BCE,[3] the Huastecs' construction and inhabitance of El Sabinito only began in 200 CE. El Sabinito showed signs of decline around 1000 CE, and its last signs of life disappeared in 1300 CE.[4]
El Sabinito was a town of more than 600 foundations.[5] Based on the discovery of 600 residential structures out of those foundations, Mexican archaeologists approximate that El Sabinito had a population of over 2,500 inhabitants at its peak.[6]
Due to its placement atop the tallest of a group of irregular hills and the presence of formidable terraces and embankments, El Sabinito may have functioned as a strategic point of observation which could monitor the movement of enemy nomadic tribes. As such, the makeup of El Sabinito suggests that it may have served as a military and political stronghold as well as a cultural and residential hub.[5]
Architecture
All of the buildings within El Sabinito are very well preserved. As mentioned above, excavations of the site performed by INAH resulted in the finding of more than 600 foundations built on terraces, corridors, and plazas arranged symmetrically in a manner that demonstrates fairly advanced knowledge of architecture.[5]
The plan of El Sabinito can be divided into two sections based on its two plazas.
Plaza 1
The first plaza is the northernmost of the two, and can be distinguished by the sizable edifices which flank it, the largest within El Sabinito.[7] Outstanding among these constructions is the circular, eight-meter-high pyramid, with slabs of limestone jutting out of its sides like the arms of a windmill. This particularly conical style of pyramid has been associated with the worship of the wind god Ehecatl, a patron deity of Huastec civilization.[8] Opposite to this pyramid is a ceremonial altar measuring 2 meters by 6 meters with unevenness at the ends.
Plaza 2
Two large circular twin buildings that start from the hillside stand out, linked together by a wall with a staircase to reach a ceremonial plaza, which is also accessed by means of terraces staggered by other buildings that surround it.
See also
References
- ^ "Zona arqueológica El Sabinito, Tamaulipas". México Desconocido (in Spanish). 2010-08-31. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
- ^ "Municipio de Soto la Marina, Tam". www.sotolamarina.gob.mx. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
- ^ "Zona Arqueológica El Sabinito". www.inah.gob.mx. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
- ^ Mena Cruz, Alberto. "El Sabinito". Mexicana.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c A. Ramirez Castilla, Gustavo (September 2004). "From Semi-Desert to Jungle The Ancient Peoples of Tamaholipa" (PDF). Voices of Mexico. 68: 98 – via National Autonomous University of Mexico.
- ^ "El Sabinito". Secretaría de Cultura/Sistema de Información Cultural (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-04-16.
- ^ https://mexicana.cultura.gob.mx/en/repositorio/detalle?id=_suri:MEDIATECAGUIA:TransObject:5bc501667a8a0222efe6898b&word=El%20Sabinito,&r=0&t=65
- ^ "Ehecatl". Ancient History Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2020-04-16.