Mexico

Pre-Hispanic City of Cantona

WHS Score 0.79
rate
Votes 4 Average 1.0
Show votes
Votes for Pre-Hispanic City of Cantona

1

  • Arturo Saavedra
  • GeorgeIng61
  • Kasper
  • Little Lauren Travels
Cantona is an archaeological site of a major fortified town that flourished between 550 and 950. It stands out from other pre-Columbian cities by the absence of mortar or cement in its buildings and the construction of its roads excavated from the volcanic rock. It houses military, public, religious and residential infrastructures, as well as a record 24 ball courts.

Site Info

Official Information
Full Name
Pre-Hispanic City of Cantona (ID: 1586)
Country
Mexico
Status
On tentative list 2001 Site history
History of Pre-Hispanic City of Cantona
2001: Added to Tentative List
Added to tentative list
2006: Requested by State Party to not be examined
Withdrawn at request of Czech Republic
Criteria
Links
UNESCO
whc.unesco.org
All Links
UNESCO.org

Community Information

Travel Information
No travel information
Recent Connections
No connections… yet. Propose a connection.
News

No news.

Community Reviews

Show full reviews
First published: 10/06/20.

Arturo Saavedra

Pre-Hispanic City Of Cantona

Pre-Hispanic City of Cantona (On tentative list)

Pre-Hispanic City of Cantona by Arturo Saavedra

Cantona is one of the most unique ancient cities you could find in Mesoamerica. At first glance, all the usual elements are there: Pyramids, palaces, ball courts and plazas. However, there are some key aspects in which it deviates from any other settlement in the region. The first one is its urban plan. While Mesoamericans cities usually follow a symmetrical distribution, Cantona is configured as a complex and intact network of irregular streets and alleys that communicate dozens of residential and administrative units, clearly differentiated by class and rank.

The reason for this unusual urban model is the unique geographical context of the city, as it was entirely built on top of a lava field. The inhabitants of Cantona also adapted their city to this surreal landcape of palms and cacti by developing an architecture based on exposed volcanic rock; without the use of any cementing, pigment or stucco. This city has also been described as one of the most complex urban models of the Americas, as its degree of space specialization is extremely high. The only inscribed Prehispanic city that could be compared to Cantona in regard to its urban complexity is Teotihuacan. However, while Teotihuacan is the ultimate planned city of the region and it is completely organized around a common city center; Cantona is polycentric and assymetrical.

The site is huge and has ceremonial and religious centres, residential zones, internal and external roads, fortifications, multifamily domestic compounds, productive areas and the highest concentration of ball …

Keep reading 0 comments