ZONA ARQUEOLOGICA DE ALTAVISTA

The Altavista archaeological site is a ceremonial and astronomical center belonging to the Chalchihuite culture, whose influence extended from the northeast of present-day Zacatecas state to the south of Durango state. The site was occupied for almost a thousand years, from 200 to 1,250 AD, and its main ceremonial buildings were erected in the^{5th century} . The site's actual location is closely linked to its proximity to the Tropic of Cancer; it has also been proven that the site's construction was based on a precise topographical triangulation: the summit of Picacho Pelón 11 km to the east, the Chapín mountain 7 km to the south-west and the Pedregoso hill 5 km to the north-east, whose positions made it possible to accurately observe the sun's seasonal movements and thus keep track of agricultural calendars. At the top of the Chapín are two stones engraved with a solar calendar similar to those found at the Teotihuacán site and in the Valle de México region. The archaeological zone includes the classic elements of pre-Hispanic centers (pyramid bases, terraces, ball court), but above all two totally unique and original constructions: the famous Salón de las Columnas and the Labyrinth. Its Observatory is visited every March 21 by hundreds of people who come to celebrate the advent of the new sun, which appears behind the summit of Picacho Pelón.