Cempoala

E79127

Cempoala is a pre-Columbian Totonac archaeological city in modern-day Veracruz, Mexico, known for its role as an important regional center at the time of the Spanish conquest.

Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form Occurrences
Zempoala 1

Statements (50)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Totonac settlement
archaeological site
pre-Columbian city
abandonedByCentury 17th century
alliedWith Hernán Cortés
Spanish conquistadors
alternativeName Cēmpoalātl
Cempoala
surface form: Zempoala
archaeologicalExcavationStart 20th century
conqueredBy Aztec Empire
continent North America
country Mexico
culture Totonac
surface form: Totonac civilization
dateOfSpanishContact 1519
elevation approximately 20 meters above sea level
ethnicGroup Totonac
surface form: Totonac people
etymology from Nahuatl meaning “place of twenty” or “place of many waters”
event forging of early Spanish–Totonac alliance
flourishedInCentury 15th century
flourishedInPeriod Late Postclassic period
governedBy Totonac ruler Xicomecoatl
hasStructure Temple of the Carved Skulls
Temple of the Chimneys
Temple of the Cross
surface form: Temple of the Crosses

circular platforms dedicated to Ehecatl
heritageStatus protected archaeological zone of Mexico
inhabitedFromCentury 13th century
knownFor large circular temples
role in Spanish conquest of Mexico
stone rings and towers
locatedIn Gulf Coast of Mexico
Veracruz NERFINISHED
locatedInTimeZone America/Mexico_City
locatedNear Actopan River NERFINISHED
Gulf of Mexico
La Antigua River NERFINISHED
mainDeityVenerated Quetzalcoatl
surface form: Ehecatl

Tlaloc
Xipe Totec
managedBy Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia
openToPublic yes
partOf Totonacapan region
populationEstimate between 20,000 and 30,000 inhabitants at its peak
religion Mesoamerican polytheism
role commercial center
regional political center
religious center
tributaryTo Aztec Empire
visitedBy Bernal Díaz del Castillo
Hernán Cortés

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Cempoala alternativeName Cempoala
this entity surface form: Zempoala