Description
Famed for the mastery of its artisans who made extraordinary sculptures, masks, figures of animals and objects for rituals from jade and jadeite. It presents remarkable palace architecture and had the largest Mezcala culture population, in what is today the state of Guerrero.
Historical overview
During its apogee this site had an area of four and a half acres, and its buildings had an idiosyncratic architectural style. Some rooms and plinths are decorated with lines of circular stone pieces, known as studs; others are lined with a type of scapular panel, while still others are roofed with overhanging slabs (this system is known as a false vault).
La Organera-Xochipala emerged as a result of various factors, most important of which was territorial defense. Together with other contemporary sites, it protected the cultivated lands of the El Llano valley.
Five stages of construction have been identified in this ancient city, from the Early Classic to the Late Postclassic, although the causes of its neglect and decay are unknown. The palace architecture is notable, with porticoes and pilasters, and a circulation system adapted to the uneven terrain using stucco-covered staircases.
Experts have defined two ceramic traditions on the site. The first was in between the Tejas and Xaltipan phases corresponding to the Middle Preclassic (585 BC) and the Classic. The second, based on the Tepenacaxtla phase, was the Late Xochipala phase in the Early Postclassic (965), with a predominance of granular white ceramics.