Peralta Part 1 of 3: A unique archeological site in the Bajio Region

The author, viewing the Ceremonial Pool. This feature of the Recinto de Los Gobernantes (Enclosure of the Governors) is part of the Peralta Archeological Zone. Sunken patios like this are typical of the ancient architecture of El Bajio region. My blog fans may recall that last September I posted about a 2016 trip to Plazuelas, another of El Bajio's archeological sites. Unfortunately, a hard drive crash caused the loss of all of the Peralta photos that I had taken on that same trip. 

Recently, I decided to organize another expedition to the Peralta site in order to photograph it again. My neighbor Vinnie is a highly experienced photographer and he agreed to come along. This would be my first time venturing outside of the Lake Chapala area since the pandemic began, except for a journey last Fall to the US border for a booster shot. Hopefully, the success of this trip will make it the precursor for others.

The unusual features of the Recinto de Los Gobernantes will be the focus of Part 1 of this series. In Part 2, I will show you the Sunken Patios, and the Double Temple Complex. Part 3 will cover the ancient residents of Peralta and the artifacts they left behind. Because of Vinnie, this three-part blog series contains some shots of me, which is unusual because I am nearly always the person behind the lens. (Photo by Vince Heptig)

Overview

How to get there. Peralta is in the state of Guanajuato, about a 3 hour+ drive to the east of Lake Chapala. It is definitely near the limit of a day trip, unless you are a road warrior like me. Since the  Plazuelas site is not far from Peralta, it would be possible to see both on an overnight trip (Plazuelas is near the town of Penjamo). There appear to be a number of comfortable and inexpensive hotels in Abasolo, a town half way between the two sites, so an overnight stop seems feasible. Click here for an interactive Google map. 

The route is as follows: take the Chapala-Guadalajara Carretera to the Ocotlán-La Barca exit. Just beyond Ocotlán, get on the 15d cuota (toll road) toward Mexico-Morelia. After you pass La Barca, exit at Yuricuaro-Vista Hermosa. Shortly after the exit's toll booth, make a U-turn at the sign for Mexico-Morelia-Zamora. This puts you on Highway 110 toward Yuricuaro. Up to here, the route has been nearly all high-speed, 4-lane divided roads. Highway 110 is two-lane and thick with slow-moving trucks, so be patient until you get to the outskirts of La Piedad.

Shortly before reaching La Piedad, exit toward Irapuato onto the 90d cuota, merging eventually with 90 Libre, another 4-lane, high-speed road. Follow that about 60km (37mi) to Abasolo. About 15km (9mi) past Abasolo on the 90, take a right at the sign for Pueblo Nuevo. After several kilometers you come to a fork where you bear right at a sign for Hunimaro V de Santiago. After about 5km, you will come to the turnoff for San Jose de Peralta. Turn right as you enter the pueblo and follow that street 1km to the archeological site. 

Map of the eastern part of El Bajio, showing archeological sites. All the yellow dots are archeological sites. The white names and dots are modern towns. This map is a detail of a much larger one showing even more sites. El Bajio (The Lowland) extends from Queretaro in the east to Jalisco in the west and from the mountains of Guanajuato in the north to those of Michaocan in the south. (Photo from a display in the Peralta museum)

Between 300-900 AD, the region was heavily settled. During the Epi-Classic era (600-900 AD), El Bajio civilization reached its height. Villages and towns were everywhere, especially in the low, fertile areas along watercourses like the Lerma river and around the various shallow lakes. Several cities had large populations. Peralta, for example had 10,000 residents. Major trade routes passed through El Bajio from New Mexico to Honduras and from both coasts. 

All this has been discovered only recently. Although locals knew of the ruins, archeologists did not investigate until the 1970s, and major studies only occurred in the 2000s. Previously, El Bajio was thought to be an area without archeological interest. In fact, from 900 AD all the way through the Aztec era, only scattered bands of hunter-gatherers had occupied it. Until the Spanish settled El Bajio in the 17th century, the region had been considered a wasteland. 

The Peralta ruins and the modern pueblo for which they are named. The view here is toward the east. The site's two major parts are the Recinto de Los Gobernantes (right foreground) and the Double Temple Complex (left foreground). These structures sit near the crest of a low hill mounded with volcanic rocks and boulders. The area around the ruins is overgrown with mesquite and cactus. 

Beyond the hill, the terrain is generally flat, making it suitable for agriculture in ancient times, as well as today. To the east of the modern town is the blue Rio Lerma, which provided the water that made the ancient city possible. The governing elites lived in dwellings within the Recinto or immediately around it, while the commoners would have lived in the flat areas near their fields. (Photo from Peralta Museum collection)

Recinto de los Gobernantes

The northeast corner of the Recinto, looking west. The archeological site is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10AM to 6PM. After paying our $39 peso fee ($1.92 USD) at the site's museum, we proceeded up the walkway to the ruins. This finely-built wall was the first point we encountered. Peralta's ancient architects had no metal tools, only those made of stone, bone, or wood. They also lacked both draft animals and the wheel. Their only source of power was human muscle.

In spite of those limitations, they cleared and leveled a large area on the hilltop and then built a huge platform. It measures 147m (482ft) from east to west and 137m (450ft) from north to south and is the largest in the region. The beautifully-surfaced walls stand at a 45 degree angle and rise to a height of at least 4.6m (15ft) in some areas. The Recinto would have provided a good defensive position during the Epi-Classic era, a time of intense warfare between city-states.

The South Entrance provides access to the Recinto's interior. The remains of another entrance are on the west side. However, the west side's great staircase no longer reaches the top of the wall, so the South Entrance provides the only access today. Notice the thickness of the wall and the narrowness of the passage, Hostile warriors assaulting through here would have had to pass through single file, making them easy targets for the defenders.

Interior of the south wall, looking west. A large Pitayo cactus stands on the wall at its southeast corner. The low interior wall is less than 1m (3.3ft) high in most areas. To the right of this wall, and extending its full length, is a level corridor that is about 10m (33ft) wide. The interior edge of this corridor borders the Sunken Plaza. 

This corridor, and similar ones on the north and east, provided space for spectators to view dances and ceremonies occurring in the sunken plaza. The west side of the Recinto contains the Ceremonial Pool, Circular Structure and an area for elite dwellings. The Recinto de los Gobernantes has a sophisticated hydraulic system designed by the ancient architects to drain off water during the rainy season.

View of the Sunken Plaza from its northeast corner. Sunken plazas and patios are a characteristic architectural feature of El Bajio's cities. Examples have been found in 174 sites throughout the region. Recently, scientists discovered that these sunken features were designed to amplify acoustics during public performances. I will discuss this a bit later.

The interior edges of the corridors on the north, east, and south sides can be seen above. The Sunken Plaza is about 0.6m (2ft) below the corridors which border it. The plaza's extraordinary size would have provided enough space for masses of brightly feathered dancers. They would have cavorted to the sounds of drums, conch shell trumpets, bone flutes, and whistles. 

The curved wall extending into the Sunken Plaza from the middle of its west side is part of the large Circular Structure. It provided the stage for the ancient musicians and for spectacular rituals performed to honor Ehecatl, the Wind God. In addition the Circular Structure provided a platform from which the ruler or high priest could address a crowd gathered in the Sunken Plaza and the surrounding corridors. 

View to the west from the top of the west wall. The panoramic view above includes the green fields surrounding the archeological site and one of the many extinct volcanoes found in this part of the country. Volcanic debris provided building materials, as well as obsidian (volcanic glass) from which tools, weapons, and jewelry could be crafted for local use or trade.

Entwined together in the foreground are two varieties of cactus found throughout Western Mexico. These are the long-armed Pitayo and the flat-paddled Nopal. Both provide sweet fruits which were gathered by the ancient people. The Mexican landscape is full of wild plants like this that can be eaten or used for a wide variety of purposes. Many, including the Pitayo and Nopal, are still used today.

 

The Circular Structure

Aerial view of the platform's northwest corner and the Circular Structure. Evidence of dwellings for the ruler, high priests, and other officials have been found in the broad, flat area to the left of the Circular Structure. To the right of the Circular Structure is the Ceremonial Pool seen in the first photo. With a diameter of 42m (138ft), the Circular Structure provided a large space for musical performances, ceremonies, and speeches.

Mid-way along the outside of the west wall behind the Circular Structure is a large staircase. The ruler and other elites would have used this to access the structures on top of the Recinto's west side, including their dwellings, the Circular Structure and the Ceremonial Pool. Lesser mortals would have entered through the South Gate.

Several high-status human burials have been found on the Recinto's west side. The grave goods included valuable items such as jewelry made from turquoise, jade, and shells, as well as ceramic vessels. Many of these artifacts indicate long-distance trade connections with locations as far afield as New Mexico, the Pacific and Caribbean Coasts, and Guatemala. (Photo from Peralta's museum)

The west wall's Circular Structure faces east, toward sunrise. Most monumental structures in ancient Mesoamerica are square or rectangular and nearly all of these--including the Recinto de los Gobernantes--are aligned to the four Cardinal Directions. Each direction was considered sacred and was associated with a particular god. East was particularly holy because sunrise symbolized the daily rebirth of the world. Thus, it is not surprising the Recinto's west side structures face east. 

However, the shape of Circular Structure doesn't conform to Cardinal Directions. Monuments to Ehecatl are circular because he is the god of the wind, which can come from any direction. Strong winds can have dramatic effects, but they are also invisible and therefore mysterious, as befits a god. In addition, high winds often precede the rain necessary for healthy crops. Circular monuments to Ehecatl were built by various Mesoamerican cultures over the millennia.

The Circular Structure, looking east across the Sunken Plaza. The north and east corridors can be seen in the background. In addition to rituals relating to Ehecatl, this structure functioned as a platform for speakers and musical performers. In 2013, scientists decided to test the acoustics of the sunken plazas of El Bajio's ancient cities. One of the sites tested was Peralta's Recinto. 

Human voices and pre-hispanic percussion and wind instruments were used to produce sounds from the Circular Structure. They were picked up by receivers in the Sunken Plaza and its surrounding corridors. The sounds were intelligible throughout the interior of the Recinto, but particularly on the corridors. This confirmed them as audience spaces. The ancient designers of the Recinto apparently understood acoustic principles enough to incorporate them into their architecture.

Looking east from atop the Circular Structure. One of the more interesting rituals to Ehecatl was that of the Voladores (flying dancers). These rituals have been passed down through the centuries and I have witnessed their performance in various parts of Mexico. The colorfully-costumed Voladores begin by climbing to the top of a very tall pole. Deep holes for such poles have been discovered in the middle of the Circular Structure.

Each Volador hangs, head down, from a rope looped around his waist. The rope's other end is wound around the top of the pole. He maintains a precarious stability by crooking one ankle around the rope. As the ropes pay out, the Voladores swing around the pole with their arms extended. This continues until the Voladores finally reach the ground. During the performance, one man remains at the top of the pole, beating a small drum and playing a flute.

The Ceremonial Pool

The Ceremonial Pool is mis-named. The base is of earth, not stone or stucco, so the structure is unlikely to have been intended to contain water. Since it is situated right next to the Circular Structure, on its south side, it must have had a relationship to the activities there. 

The acoustical researchers believe that the Ceremonial Pool was used by Peralta's ruler and other elites while they watched the Voladores perform. It would have functioned much like the "skyboxes" in modern stadiums. Those are special places exclusive to modern elites who wish to enjoy performances conducted in the stadium while remaining separated from the common people.

The south wall of the Ceremonial Pool. The Pool is square and roughly 10m (33ft) on each side. It is approximately 1.22m (4ft) deep. All of the walls around the interior of the pool are substantial. Their stepped construction probably protected against collapse of the sides. The elite occupants probably seated themselves on the ground, but even standing they would have been completely separate and largely out of the sight of other spectators. 

The northwest corner of the Ceremonial pool. Peralta has many important features that make it an exemplar of El Bajio architecture. The immense platform that is the Recinto de los Gobernantes is the largest of any city in the region. The ancient city contains at least five sunken plazas and patios with acoustical and hydraulic designs that show great sophistication on the part of the architects. 

This completes Part 1 of my Peralta series. I hope you have enjoyed it. If so, please leave any thoughts or questions in the Comments section below or email me directly. If you leave a question in the Comments section, please include your email address so that I may reply in a timely manner.

Hasta luego, Jim