La Quemada

Welcome, students of antiquity, to the enigmatic ruins of La Quemada. Located fifty six kilometers south of the modern city of Zacatecas, this sprawling archaeological site represents one of the most significant monumental…

Our first major stop is the impressive Salon de las Columnas, or the Hall of Columns. As you stand within this massive rectangular enclosure, which measures roughly one hundred and twenty feet by ninety five feet, the scale of…

Stepping out from the plaza in front of the Hall of Columns, we find ourselves upon the Calzada Mayor, the Grand Road. This impressive avenue stretches for a full one thousand two hundred feet, forming the primary central artery…

Just north of the main plaza lies the imposing Juega de Pelota, the traditional Mesoamerican ballcourt. This court is massive, measuring approximately seventy meters, or two hundred and ten feet, in length, constructed in the…

Dominating the central skyline of the site is the imposing structure known as the Votive Pyramid. Rising steeply from the terraced hillside, this pyramid stands over thirty feet tall, though it was originally much higher. …

Moving westward along the flanks of the hill, we enter the residential quarters of La Quemada. Because the terrain is so steep, the ancient engineers had to construct a massive series of masonry platforms and retaining walls to…

We finally ascend to the highest point of La Quemada, the Cuidadela, or the Citadel. This compound of buildings served as the ultimate defensive redoubt for the city's elite. …

As we conclude our tour and descend from the windswept heights of La Quemada, the profound sense of mystery surrounding this site is palpable. We have walked through the charred Hall of Columns, stood in the center of the bloody…