It’s a day of rest in the middle of a mountaineering expedition, in the heart of the great volcanoes of Mexico. One of the leaders of the expedition offers a short cultural excursion to the archaeological site of Cantona.
Cantona? Never heard of it. We know the great archaeological sites of Mexico, Chichén Itzá, in Yucatán, Teotihuacan, very close to Mexico City, or Tulum, on the edge of the Caribbean Sea. But Cantona? It must be a small, half-collapsed pyramid, a shaky stone wall, nothing more. But there’s nothing else on the schedule today, and a little culture can’t hurt.
The site is located far from the tourist routes, in the state of Puebla, near the border with the state of Veracruz. As we approach the site, we notice a hill which appears to be topped with gray stone structures.
On this weekday, the site’s large parking lot is virtually empty. At the entrance, the manager of the small museum is delighted to see us arrive: finally, visitors!
Then, there’s a surprise when we begin our visit to the museum: Cantona, ultimately, it’s not that modest. The place is 12 square kilometers, making it the largest archaeological site in Mexico. At its peak, between the years 600 and 1000 CE, the city had a population of 90,000.
Who were they? In VIIe century, groups of Mayan merchants, the Olmec-Xicallanca, would have taken control of a much older site. They sought to control trade routes, and some scholars hypothesize that Cantona may have had a role in Teotihuacan’s decline.
The museum displays various objects excavated over the years. In particular nine phallic sculptures which took pride of place in one of the city’s many plazas.
Time to take a look at the site itself. Only 2% have been excavated: it shouldn’t take too long.
PHOTO MARIE TISON, THE PRESS
Première Avenue crosses the Cantona site for 563 meters.
We start by following a narrow lane lined with stone walls, Première Avenue. It runs alongside a succession of large patios which accommodated family groups.
The inhabitants protected themselves from the elements in small wooden constructions, obviously disappeared, perched on stone platforms.
Silence reigns, except for the song of birds and the breeze in the leaves of the trees. In the entire site, there are only three other visitors. We are far from the crowds of Chichén Itzá and Teotihuacan.
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PHOTO MARIE TISON, THE PRESS
A ball court, a ritual sport that ended with a human sacrifice.
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PHOTO MARIE TISON, THE PRESS
The Fertility Plaza, one of the most important complexes in Cantona. It was here that phallic structures were discovered.
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PHOTO MARIE TISON, THE PRESS
Each patio hosted a family group. A small wooden building stood on the platform in the center.
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PHOTO MARIE TISON, THE PRESS
Limestone plaques adorned the most important monuments.
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We climb a hill to access the area where the political and religious elites were concentrated. We are gradually seeing its magnitude. There are notably a dozen architectural complexes including a ball court, a plaza and a pyramid. According to specialists, these complexes are only found in Cantona.
The ball game had a ritual character and ended with a human sacrifice. Specialists do not really agree: was it the loser who suffered such a fate, or the winner? Which could affect the motivation of the players, obviously.
Cantona’s ball fields are characterized by sloping, not vertical, walls. Trees have carved a path through it, which gives a very peaceful character to the place. This contrasts with the hubbub that must have reigned at the time.
In all complexes, the plaza is at the end of the playing field. There was an altar: the loser (or winner) therefore did not have to walk far to suffer their fate. The pyramid stands behind.
PHOTO MARIE TISON, THE PRESS
The Cantona site is impressive. Something is missing…ah yes, the crowds. There are very few visitors.
The Cantona pyramids are not as high as those of Teotihuacan or Chichén Itzá, but they have an interesting feature: no trace of mortar or stucco has been found. The stones were placed carefully on top of each other to form a solid wall. Traces of white limestone stones remain for the most important pyramids.
The whole gives a great impression of harmony.
As the pyramids are not immensely high, it is tempting to climb them. All. At the risk of finding yourself quite out of breath at the summit: the Cantona site is located on the central Mexican plateau, at an altitude of around 2500 meters.
From above we can admire the rest of the unexcavated Cantona site, which extends on all sides. We perceive walls, patios, transport routes.
We go back down, walk to the next complex, climb another pyramid, and so on. The hours pass, the thighs heat up.
It was supposed to be a day of rest though.
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