Archaeologists studying ancient cave paintings in Mexico have identified Teotihuacan symbols associated with sacred mountains and warriors, suggesting that the cave was used for ceremonies commemorating the dead more than 1,500 years ago.
The paintings are located inside Cave 19, a small rock shelter on the western face of Cerro Delgado overlooking the archaeological site of Chalcatzingo in the Mexican state of Morelos.
According to a study published in Antiquity, the paintings date from approximately the 4th to 6th centuries AD and belong to the writing tradition associated with Teotihuacan.
Chalcatzingo is primarily known for its earlier Olmec-style monuments, dating from around 900 to 500 BC. The paintings indicate that the surrounding landscape continued to hold religious importance centuries later.
Teotihuacan inscriptions at Chalcatzingo
Researchers examined three groups of signs painted in dark red pigment on the walls of the cave.
Although the paintings were previously known, a survey conducted in August 2022 used digital photography and image-enhancement techniques to document the surviving markings in greater detail.
The first group depicts stylised mountains accompanied by scroll-like elements emerging from an open mouth.
Researchers interpret the combination as a place name meaning “Singing Mountain”.
A nearby hill was historically known by the Nahuatl name Cuicatepec, which has the same meaning, raising the possibility that the inscription refers to Cerro Delgado itself.
If correct, the name and religious identity associated with the mountain may have survived for more than a millennium.
Similar references to Singing Mountain have been identified in murals at Teotihuacan depicting processions of priests carrying incense and performing scattering rituals.
The parallels have led researchers to suggest that Chalcatzingo may have served as a pilgrimage destination for people travelling from Teotihuacan.
Rituals honouring warriors
A second group of painted signs appears to have a military association.
The imagery includes a beaded necklace, a cloth resembling a ceremonial garment and a projectile dart associated with an atlatl, or spear-thrower.
Researchers suggest that the combination may represent a military title or refer to a particular group of warriors.
The third painting was found above a small stone shelf at the rear of the cave and consists of a rectangular frame decorated with five-pointed stars.
Comparable designs are known from Teotihuacan ceremonial incense burners and other objects associated with the commemoration of deceased warriors.
The rock above the shelf is also blackened by fire.
According to the study, the shelf could have supported an incense burner or possibly a funerary bundle while burning took place inside the cave.
The researchers have raised the possibility that cremation formed part of the ceremonies, although no surviving material confirms what was actually burnt.
Sanctuary on a mountainside
Cave 19 lies around 330 metres from the centre of Chalcatzingo on the steep western face of Cerro Delgado.
The shelter measures only 5.43 metres across and extends approximately 2.24 metres into the rock, covering a floor area of about 7.4 square metres.
Access is difficult. Researchers currently approach from the opposite side of the mountain before abseiling down the western escarpment.
Ancient visitors may have used scaffold-like ladders to reach the cave from below, while carved footholds and rudimentary steps around the site indicate attempts to make the terrain more accessible.
Archaeologists also recorded scattered pottery fragments and part of a stone grinding implement during the 2022 survey.
Caves and mountains occupied an important place in Mesoamerican religious traditions and were frequently connected with fertility, rainfall, creation and the origins of life.
Earlier carvings at Chalcatzingo contain imagery relating to caves, rain clouds, supernatural beings and maize, demonstrating the sacred character of the landscape long before the Teotihuacan paintings were created.
Evidence for Teotihuacan writing
The paintings also contribute to the study of the Teotihuacan writing system.
Researchers have identified almost 120 signs within the wider corpus, including symbols interpreted as place names, personal names, titles, calendar information and actions.
The Cave 19 inscriptions show that this system was not restricted to monuments within Teotihuacan itself.
Evidence of Teotihuacan influence has previously been identified elsewhere in Morelos, including at San Ignacio, around 13 kilometres south of Chalcatzingo, where pottery, architecture and ceremonial objects indicate a substantial Teotihuacan presence.
Researchers suggest that while some settlements in the region may have had economic or strategic functions, Chalcatzingo appears to have retained particular religious significance.
A sacred landscape spanning centuries
Chalcatzingo reached its height during the Formative period, many centuries before the Teotihuacan paintings were added to Cave 19.
The later inscriptions demonstrate that the mountain landscape continued to attract ritual activity despite major cultural changes across central Mexico.
Taken together, the painted signs, military imagery and evidence of burning point towards ceremonies connected with the commemoration of warriors.
The possibility that some ceremonies involved cremation remains tentative, but the findings provide evidence for the combination of writing, warrior identity and ritual activity at a sacred location beyond the city of Teotihuacan.
The study also raises the possibility that pilgrimage routes connected Teotihuacan with Chalcatzingo, preserving the religious importance of the mountain landscape across many generations.
Sources : Antiquity – doi:10.15184/aqy.2026.10425
