Malinalco

Located west of Cuernavaca, the impressive hilltop site of Malinalco (A.D. 500–1521) was inhabited over the years by various groups of people but reached its peak during the final years of the Aztec Period (c. A.D. 1475–1521). The ruins are reached by climbing almost a mile up a winding, well-maintained pathway that offers beautiful views of the valley and the modern town of Malinalco. The location of the site at the top of a defensible hill suggests that over time one of its roles must have been as a military fortress; however, after its capture by the Aztecs in 1476, it seems to have become a sanctuary or ritual home for the Eagle and Jaguar warriors, the elite fighting units of the Aztec military. There are only a few buildings at the site, the most impressive being an amazing pyramid/temple cut out of the solid rock face. One climbs the pyramid steps and enters the temple through the open mouth of a massive serpent that serves as the entryway to a round, inner chamber. This dark inner room may have been used for secret initiation ceremonies or military rites. Its central altar and semicircular bench are decorated with sculptured stone images of eagles and jaguars. Other buildings in this hilltop complex are thought to have been meeting halls, chambers for ritual events, and storage facilities. In the modern village below the fortress-like site is an early (1537) Augustinian monastery and church built of cut stone carried down from the archaeological site of Malinalco. This early fortress-church has an interesting open chapel with the Stations of the Cross placed around its large enclosed courtyard.