La Ferrería
A magnificent and jagged ancient ceremonial site right at the southern edge of Modern Durango, but eons into the distant past.
La Ferrería Archaeological Zone is an important ancient site left behind by an indigenous group known today as the Chalchihuites. Experts believe they stayed here from roughly 400 to 1300 CE, during the Epiclassic and Postclassic Mesoamerican periods. The site is some eight kilometers south of the capital city of Durango, within the Tunal River valley. The presence of the site, on the southern edge of the Durango capital, greatly extends the history of the rather modern city into the wee hours of history.
La Ferrería is particularly noted for being one of the principle ceremonial centers in northern Mexico. The site is believed to have been a meeting point between the cultures of the north (traditionally associated with Aridoamerica) and those of more populous central Mesoamerica. This is reflected in the striking architecture and artifacts, which indicated much influence from Mesoamerican peoples. These include pyramidal structures, circular ritual spaces, a ball court, ceremonial patios, platforms, altars, and ritual burials.
The main pyramid, with a quadrangular base and a central staircase, likely served as a temple. In the area, archaeoligists have found numerous petroglyphs, ceramic objects, obsidian tools, and human remains The relative complexity of funerary practices indicates an advanced social organization and a vision of the cosmos. Their commercial and cultural links with other regions in the north and the center of Mesoamerica also indicate an advanced society.
A small museum on the site includes within its collection a good deal on the Chalchihuite culture, from ritual life to daily life and sustenance. The transformations made in the surrounding landscapes by these ancient people helps to provide a better understanding of them, and of ourselves as visitors.
The site is just south of the City of Durango and right before the little town of Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada. And most visitors will arrive after a trip to the capital. In a taxi, the trip from the center of Durango should take about 20 minutes.
