Ihuatzio (archaeological site)

Ihuatzio is an archaeological site in Michoacán state, Mexico. It is at the southern slopes of Cerro Tariaqueri, just north of the Ihuatzio town, in the Tzintzuntzan municipality. The ancient site is some 7 kilometers south-east of Tzintzuntzan, on the south-eastern shore of the Lake Pátzcuaro. Human settlements vestiges are registered from two different occupational periods; the first occurred between 900 and 1200 CE, corresponding to Nahuatl language speaking groups; the second group corresponding to the maximum development reached by the Purépecha Culture, between 1200 and 1530 CE. This archaeological site was built on an artificially leveled plateau, and it is considered very important, for the Michoacán prehispanic history, it was an astronomical observatory and ceremonial center. Although it is relatively small, the pyramids dedicated to "Curicaueri" and "Xaratanga" are remarkable. A sculpture representing a chac-mool (characteristic of the Toltec culture) was found; as well as a series of roads and walls surrounding the site. The prehispanic settlement fully covers a low-lying plateau and kept a strategic location at the extreme west of the lake and other dominant sites as Tzintzuntzan. On 29 July 2024, one of the pyramids was heavily damaged from the effects of an unusually intense rainstorm, exacerbated by structural weaknesses resulting from prior conditions of drought and high temperatures. Officials expressed that they would be attempting to restore the ancient monument to preserve the region's "cultural heritage".