Toluquilla

Located south of the Sierra Gorda, the Toluquilla Archaeological Monument Zone is another of the most important pre-Hispanic settlements in the state of Queretaro, occupied approximately between 300 BC and 1450 AD.

Toluquilla ("jorobadillo hill", from the Nahuatl toloa and the Spanish suffix -illo) was inhabited by extractors and mineral workers, mainly of the reddish almagre (iron oxide) and, above all, cinnabar (mercury sulfide), found in the surrounding area, minerals of great importance to cover the corpses of rulers before their burial and as colorants for buildings. These minerals were exchanged for obsidian or seashells from other civilizations that came to the site.

Influenced by different cultures, the cultures that inhabited this pre-Hispanic site left impressive constructions in the area, formed by three circulation axes and four ball games. The buildings were erected on top of older ones in order to achieve greater height and length. It is thought that its architects used large crates of rustic rock to support the weight of the building and, on these, they raised narrow walls made of well-carved slabs, which were then covered with thin layers of stucco, possibly decorated.

In Toluquilla, whose social organization was hierarchical, lived the priests and people related to the cult, while the rest of the population lived in the surrounding hamlets.

Recent studies confirm that this archaeological zone is so well preserved that even before the archaeological excavations, it was possible to walk through its streets, alleys, and doorways. The visit currently includes the vestibule, the first ball court, a housing complex, the Magueyera area, and the second ball court. From this point on, the site is covered by the collapse of five centuries, so that the explored part covers about 40 percent of the ancient town.