The newest addiction to Mexico´s plethora of archeological treasures is right here on Oaxacan coast. The Bocana del Río Copalita Eco Archeological Park, located some ten miles from central Huatulco, was inaugúrate and opened to the public by Pres. While Copalita may look the grandeur and majesty of such oaxacan landmarks as Monte Albán, it is impressive in its own right, thanks to its settings on
89 hectares of Huatulco´s Ecological Reserve, stretching from the mouth of the Copalita River, after which the park is named to a zone of wetlands, gently roling deciduos forest, steep clips and lockout points offering magnificent views of the ocean. The area was originally slated for an ethnobotanical and zoological garden, but in 1996 researchers from the National Institute for Archeology and History (INAH) found signs of a significan settlement with several pre-hispanic monuments beneath the dense forest vegetation. More than a decade of excavation and research indicates that the site was settled around 500 B.C. by groups from the Mexican Gulf, but it is uncertain who the original settle-builders were, because so many groups Left their mark to the centuries Mixe-Zoques and Chontales were certainly among the first. Chichimecas, nahuas, mixtecs and zapotecs all played a role until the site was finally abandoned at the time of the spanish conquest in the 1520s. Fifteen hundred years ago, when Alban Mount was consolidated its status as the most important urban center in Oaxaca´s central valleys, Bocana del Río Copalita had developed into a town that possessed a writing system, a calendar and the hability to track astronomical activity a complex political, socio economic and religious organization. This town covered an area of about 30 hectares and sustained a population of more than 2.000 people. It had commercial relations with distant towns of Veracruz and even more distant regions. The people of Copalita lived of the generous environment,hunting, gathering and fishing for products to both consume and to trade. Other daily activities included basket weaving and making nets, weights and flota for fishing. Because of the high acidity of the local soil, agricultura was limited and for purely local consumption, which probably explain why the population was limited in size. The engineering and architecture of the excavated structures show an advanced knowledge of construction techniques. The builders, engravers and painters borrowed architectural styles and patterns from other regions, including Teotihuacan, but they also employed methods unique to Copalita, employing ingenios systems adapted to the site´s flat areas, as well as the sorrounding hills and swampy marshes, creating enduring estructures that survived frequent flootings and severe storms. The 35 hectares now open to the public include a civic-ceremonial center, consisting of plazas, temples and a ball court. The Eco-Archeological Park has been funded so far to the tune of 9.5 million pesos by INAH and FONATUR, the National Fund for Tourism Development, the agency that create Huatulco, Cancún and other planned destinations resorts. The park includes a site museum which gives and excellent perspective on the cultures which inhabited the various regions of what is now the state of Oaxaca throughout the millenia and how Copalita and the other important centers on the coast similarly developed. There is and administrative center and offices for the archeological team who will continue working there. There is a network of trails where visitor can observe the great diversity of flora and fauna that the park embraces. There are an incredible vistas over the ocean and you can view the terreced hillsides which served as the residential area for the common folk; only the priests and the elite were allowed to live in and around the ceremonial center. Raul Matadamas Díaz is the director of Bocana del Río Copalita archeological Project and a researcher at the National Institute of Antropolgy and History (INAH). When one group abandoned the site, another eventually moved in, frequently rebuilding their homes with the materials from earlier ages, he explained around 1100 A.D. the cSoast was domínate by mixtecs, lord 8 deer, jaguar claw. The powerful mixtec ruler of Tututepec who was the only mixtec king to ever unite the upper and lower mixtec regions with the costal mixtec. His empire extended all the way down to here. Scholars are deciphering the 15th-century mixtec codices in which he appears, but the story so far is of a great but ruthless leader who fell victim to the same tactics he used against his enemies.
8 Venado was the son of a priest and named for the date of his birth. He had four brothers who also helped in his military campains.They and their allies conquered 94 cities which had never before been unified into one state. Copalita represented the cultural frontier between the mixtec and zapotec peoples. The town remained part of Copalita, “place of copal”, as mexicans renamed it when they conquered the region between 1436 and 1464, Dr. Matadamas points out. He also emphasized that the location was an important trading center, a military outpost and a control point to oversee local maritime activity. In fact, he said, this is the only site so far discovered that has a navigation guide, in the form of an obelisk erected on the top of a scarp. Copalita illuminates the history of the oaxacan coast, a history of competing groups struggly for dominance, the rise and fall of empires and enduring trade and intercultural contact. We must assume that many were the riches of Copalita that found their way to the far reaches of Mesoamerica; the bounty from the ocean, pelts and feathers from the abundant wild life, perhaps dyestuff, such as the purple tint captured from the see snails found along the rocky caves. And maybe the copal itself, the tree for which the site is named, the source of the resin used in the incense that remains important among the indigenous people for cleansings, temazcal team lodges and another rituals of purifitation. Bibliography:
SHARPE Warren "An archeological treasure can be found down the highway just outside Huatulco". April 2011. Location of the Park
Boulevard Copalita-Tangolunda Km. 15, Bahías de Huatulco, Oaxaca. Mexico. Hours: 08:00 to 17:00. Tuesday-Sunday. General Admission: 100 pesos/10 dollars. It is recommended that you contact us, because we are certified guides by the Tourism Departament. The price of the guided tour is depending of the number of the people. Come and let us make your best day in Huatulco. We are sure at the end you will be fully satisfied with our service. Also we offer special tour for cruiship travelers with the mix of visiting Copalita Eco Arqueological Park and the visit for the shopping time in the best place for "La Crucecita". Tour time: 3 and half hours, including air conditioned transportation, bottle of water, licensed guided. Contact us one week before your arrival. Price per person: $ 30 USD from 4 to 40 people. Mario Hernández Martínez. (Certified Tourist Guide). English. [email protected]
Cel. phone.(52) 958 1065438
 
Marco Antonio Pérez Arriaga (Certified Tourist Guide).English, French, German. [email protected]
Cel. phone. (52) 958 1080349
