Teocalhueyacan, Pre-Hispanic settlement in San Andrés Atenco, Mexico.
Teocalhueyacan was an Otomi settlement located roughly 3 kilometers west of present-day Tlalnepantla de Baz in the State of Mexico. The site contained residential areas and religious structures spread across the landscape, though today only archaeological remains are visible.
This Otomi settlement was established as an independent community with its own identity before Spanish conquest. After Hernan Cortes retreated from Tenochtitlan in 1520, the settlement provided shelter and food supplies to his troops.
The residents of this settlement spoke Otomi and maintained their own traditions distinct from neighboring Nahua groups. This cultural difference shaped daily life and relations in the community before European contact.
The archaeological site lies beneath the modern Manzana de Roma shopping center and is not directly accessible to visitors today. Understanding the location requires relying on research findings and historical documentation.
Stones from the settlement's original teocalli were repurposed in 1550 to build the Corpus Christi monastery, which later became Tlalnepantla's cathedral. This construction reveals how colonial buildings rose directly from the remains of pre-Hispanic structures.
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