Cantona Site Museum

At the Cantona site museum, three themes are addressed with their subtopics: La ciudad, La explotación de la obsidiana, and Cosmovisión. 1. La ciudad: The museum provides an introduction and explanation of the city’s spatial and temporal location. It also covers other topics, such as: La formación del malpaís; The formation of the malpaís on which Cantona was established; Examples of pieces related to this theme include a brazier lid, Huehuetéotl brazier and a skull. The space for the budding city: Another theme treated in this building are the possible reasons why the first inhabitants settled in the area, as well as the advantages of the terrain given its geographic position and natural resources available. Examples include a map of the reconstructed archaeological zone, two different diagrams of the Cantona archaeological zone plan, photos of the talus and the zone. Geographic location and natural resources: It shows the importance of geographic position for Cantona’s settlement, which occupied a strategic place in the Central Highlands, controlling the southern trade route to the Gulf. It explains the ecology of the Oriental Basin, the wide variety of natural resources Cantona’s inhabitants had at their disposal and that aided its development. Contemporary sites of the Central Highlands are mentioned. Examples include a map of the Oriental Basin highlighting its lagoons and volcanoes, illustrations of animals: white-tailed deer, red deer, corzo gama (venadito rojo o de montaña), white turtle, boar, etc., and there are also ossements and bones of animals, scapulae, etc. 1.2 Everyday life and society: A general idea of life in the city during its peak, and demographic elements and lifestyle are explored from the archaeological work. Subtopics include: appropriation of foods, storage of grains, storage of water, processing of foods, preparation of foods, consumption of foods, pieces of importation, consumption of beverages, vases, among other topics. Examples: infant skull, skull with deformation and cranial modification, left femur osteoma, tibias, right fibula and tibia, Preclassic figurines, anthropomorphic figurines, etc. Form of government: This site explains in general the form of government and political life during Cantona’s heyday, which means explaining social and economic organization, as well as possible causes of the city’s decline. The information about the social organization of Cantona’s inhabitants and its transition from a theocratic society to a militaristic state. Examples: staffs of command, prestige goods, etc. 2. The exploitation of obsidian: Another theme treated in this museum is obsidian (volcanic glass). It shows Cantona’s basic economic activities: production of obsidian artifacts. It explains the lithic artifact manufacturing processes and the importance of the obsidian trade in controlling the Central Highlands–Gulf trade corridor, which weakened Teotihuacan. Examples: prism cores, simple platform, obsidian stones of different sizes, round hammer, bitruncated core, polyhedral cores, core measuring 15.5 x 10 x 7 cm, etc. Cultural exchange with other regions of Mesoamerica: There are elements belonging to other cultures through analysis of trade routes or cultural approaches. Example: shelf of foreign pieces. 3. Cosmovisión: The cult: Information about religious symbolism through explanation of rituals and the pantheon of Cantona’s inhabitants. Examples: brazier with head and body, rectangular slab with serpent, image of base for placement of phalli, etc. Ritual practices: The religious ceremonial life and activities related to the rituals carried out at the Cantona archaeological zone. The ritual paraphernalia by industries: lithic, shell, ceramics; as well as some of the rituals practiced using these elements such as autosacrifice, ritual sacrifices, the ball game and deformation and mutilation in people. Examples: autosacrifice knives, rock vessel, hand, knife, mortar or ritual vessel, etc. Funeral rites: The funeral rites present in Cantona are described; the importance of funeral rites and manifestation of inhabitants’ worldview is discussed. Also covered are other related topics and elements pertaining to funeral rites such as lapidary, polished lithic, shell, braziers, incense burners, miniatures, sacrificed pieces, Preclassic ceramics, ritual dishware ceramics, ceremonial pulqueros tripod vessels, negative decoration, phytomorphs, red ceramics, polychrome ceramics, cremation, cannibalism, use of the human body, ritual burial and urn burial. [Italic] ritual burial with decapitated skulls and long bones, ritual of ceremonial pulqueros tripod vessels, vases, etc.