Teposcolula

History

Long before the present town existed, a Mixtec settlement called Yucundaa, meaning straight hill, stood on the hill to the southeast. Archaeological work in recent years has shown it was one of the more significant Mixtec cities of the Postclassic period. On the hilltop, researchers found a ball court, palaces of rulers and nobles, a large plaza and a ceremonial causeway, while the slopes held ordinary homes and farming terraces.

The town in the valley dates from the 16th century, after the Spanish arrived. Viceroy Luis de Velasco ordered the founding of the Indian town in 1552, and Teposcolula went on to become an important economic and political center of the Mixteca. Its Nahuatl name is usually explained as a reference to copper, while the older Mixtec name is still remembered today.