Pre-Hispanic City of Cantona

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 …