Great Pyramid of Xichútepa
| Տլեկո Իուիկ ին Կուաիտլ Տլատոանի | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Ministry of Internal Affairs | |
| Ancient name | Տլեկո Իուիկ ին Կուաիտլ Տլատոանի Tleko Iuik in Kuaitl Tlatoani Rise of the Head Chief |
| Constructed | 200BC – 145BC |
| Type | Step pyramid |
| Material | Stone |
| Height | 196 pi 10 pl (180 ft; 55 m) |
| Base | 1,619 pi x 1,619 pi (1,480 ft x 1,480 ft; 451 m x 451 m) |
National Historical Landmarks | |
| Type | Cultural |
| Designated | 15 September 2006 |
| Designated by | Alexander II |
| Department | Salvador |
The Great Pyramid of Xichútepa (Xichútepan: Տլեկո Իուիկ ին Կուաիտլ Տլատոանի, transliteration: Tleko Iuik in Kuaitl Tlatoani, literally meaning "Rise of the Head Chief"; Creeperian: Գրան Պիրըմիդե դե Խիճղտեպա / Gran Pirámide de Xichútepa) is a pyramid that was built during the Creeperian Confederation in the city of Xichútepa. The pyramid is the largest in the world by volume and surface area, surpassing the Great Pyramid of Hashan. The pyramid was abandoned in 540AD but rediscovered in 2006. It was designated as a Creeperopolis National Historical Landmark on 15 September 2006.
Construction
Xichútepa was founded by Axayacatl I of the Chihueta Tribe around 220BC, near the establishment of the Creeperian Confederation. It has been hypothesized that the city pre-dates the confederation, either by years or simply by months.
In 200BC, Axayacatl I commissioned one of the most ambitious construction projects in ancient history, the construction of the Great Pyramid of Xichútepa. Axayacatl I died two years into its construction in 198BC, but his son and successor, Axayacatl II, continued construction of the pyramid.
During the construction of the pyramid, the resources of the confederation were strained. The confederation had a process of selecting its Kuaitl Tlatoani, which was having an election between the seven tribes and selecting one of the tribes' eighteen-year-old sons of the current leader of the tribes, who fathered at least one son every year for this exact reason. In 161BC, the Iloqutzi Tribe under its leader, Yaotl, started a revolt in an effort to gain independence from the confederation. Yaotl's forces were defeated in the Battle of Xolotlan in May 161BC, but his forces continued resistance. Confederation forces under Axayacatl II dealt a decisive defeat against Yaotl's forces in August 161BC in the Battle of Otompan. Yaotl died in battle, and his son and successor, also named Yaotl, was forced to agree to permanently bar his tribe from future contention for the title of Kuaitl Tlatoani, but his tribe could still have a say in the electoral process.
When Axayacatl II died in 160BC, construction was continued by Xipilli I, but he died shortly afterwards in 156BC, and his successor, Xiuhcoatl I, completed the pyramid in 145BC. The pyramid was 196 pies (180 feet; 55 meters) tall and had a base perimeter of 1,619 pies (1,480 feet; 451 meters) by 1,619 pies (1,480 feet; 451 meters). Upon completion, the pyramid became the largest pyramid in the world by volume and surface area covered, even topping the Great Pyramid of Hashan, but the pyramid remains taller than the pyramid at Xichútepa. The pyramid was the largest and tallest structure on Sur when it was completed. During the existence of the Creeperian Confederation, the pyramid was referred to as the "Rise of the Head Chief."
Use
Xiuhcoatl I enacted a welfare policy known as the Imakaka in Sentli, translated as the the Giving of the Maize, in 139BC in Xichútepa. The policy gave the poorest 30% of peasants in Xichútepa and the surrounding area maize free of charge, cutting out their largest expense in an effort to help them raise themselves out of poverty. The Imakaka in Sentli is considered the first welfare system in Creeperian history. The system remained in effect continuously, with a notable absence from 533AD to 537AD during a civil war, until 745AD. Xiuhcoatl I died in 130BC and was succeeded by Acolmixtli I of the Imnoqueti Tribe. Acolmixtli I continued the Imakaka in Sentli, and in 120BC, he increased the range of those eligible from the poorest 30% to the poorest 35%. Modern historians believe that the Imakaka in Sentli was distributed from the Great Pyramid of Xichútepa from 139BC until 540AD.
Abandonment
In 540AD, Felipe I converted to Catholicism and he ordered the destruction and abandonment of the city of Xichútepa on the pretense of "destroying the old pagan religion." By 600AD, the location of the city, including the pyramid, was lost to the Creeperans.
Rediscovery
Over the centuries, several efforts have been made to rediscover the location of the city of Xichútepa and the Great Pyramid of Xichútepa. Efforts were made by Adolfo I in 1372, Adolfo III in 1844, and Antonio Sáenz Heredia in 1903.
In 1977, Adolfo V ordered renewed excavations near the city of Puerto Francisco to locate and discover the city's ruins. On 14 May 1978, archeologists found ruins at an excavation site, and upon further digging, they found stone engravings bearing the names of Axayacatl I and Axayacatl II. They concluded that they had find the lost city of Xichútepa. The following day, the Ministry of Internal Affairs took control of the entire site and declared it a Creeperopolis National Historical Landmark. Excavations continued until 1987, when they were halted by Romero III, citing monetary issues.
Excavations resumed in 2004 under Alexander II, with the intent goal of rediscovering the Great Pyramid of Xichútepa. In April 2006, the pyramid was discovered to have been built under the site of the Church of Our Lady of Salvador. The Ministry of Internal Affairs has cooperated with the Creeperian Catholic Church on excavation efforts of the pyramid, and on 15 September 2006, designated it as a Creeperopolis National Historical Landmark, its own separate landmark from the city itself. The pyramid is continuing to be excavated.
Gallery
A drawing of the pyramid.
A model of the pyramid.
