How To Find Alta Vista, State of Nayarit, Mexico

The previous year my father and I had visited a Tecoxquine sacred site in upper Alta Vista. We had heard of the Sanctuary then, but had not visited it. We were very intrigued by the Apostle Matthew story and, with great excitement, we agreed that we would search for the Sanctuary of Alta Vista to find evidence of Christ worship by the Tecoxquines.

That evening I decided to do some research before we set out on our quest. I learned that, at the beginning of the 17th century, a belief rose among the Spanish that the Apostle Matthew had traveled to the New World in pre-Hispanic times to evangelize the Indians. Apparently, this belief rose after the first written historical reference was made of Alta Vista in the year 1621, which described complex writings, symbols of crosses, and devotion to a Christ. However, a historical timeline reveals that after the arrival of the Spaniard Francisco Cortes Buenadventura in 1524, the scourges of disease, warfare, and slavery led to the extinction of the Tecoxquines. Because the Tecoxquines left no written record and became extinct within just a few decades, little was known about them and much was left to speculation or myth. For example, when the legend of the Apostle Matthew arose, the Tecoxquines had already become extinct, so the true origin of their crosses is only speculative. But because of the number of petroglyphs found at Alta Vista, it is believed that this area was their central religious site.

As we took the turn off to Alta Vista from Highway 200, it became apparent the cab driver did not know where he was going. We got lost in a farm field and he admitted he had not actually visited the site, but had “heard” about it. With some persistence, determination, sheer luck and several miles of dirt road, we finally found the site of the Sanctuary.

The Sanctuary is located in a tropical forest setting along a seasonal creek called Las Piletas, which flows along the west side of the El Cop Volcano. At the entrance there is a path that follows the upslope of the creek and ends at the most sacred point of the site. At this location there is a series of rock shelves and small pools that were carved into the basalt rocks eons ago. Beside these pools, sheer vertical walls rise to the mountainside from the creek bed. At this spot the creek bed has an amphitheatre appearance and is often referred to as La Pila del Rey, The King’s Fountain.

I found two other types of petroglyphs, which had probably given rise to the legend of the Apostle Matthew. One set of petroglyphs depicted various forms of a cross and another one resembled a human stick figure with open arms. This figure is often referred to as the Maiz (Corn) Man, who was also revered by the people of the region who appeared after the Tecoxquine had died out. Since the Tecoxquine no longer existed, each succeeding culture of the region reinterpreted the symbols to fit their own perception, notion, or belief about their meaning, which gave rise to speculation, legend, and myth.

While at the Sanctuary pool area, I decided to explore the area beyond the apparent path, and headed through the brush at a right angle from the streambed. It was difficult to move because the area was dense with jungle overgrowth. Nevertheless, I continued and after a short while I came upon a clutter of stones and boulders among the trees, and decided to rest.

I leaned against a boulder and noticed there was a bowl-like impression in it that had been covered with dry leaves. I brushed away the leaves and noticed that the boulder was similar to one I had seen in Zacualpan, which had striations from the lip of the bowl that ran down its side. Next to the bowl I noticed a four- or five-foot rectangular carved stone that was about the width of a human body. I recalled that the Tecoxquine were known to offer the heads of captured warriors as a sacrifice to their Gods and wondered if, at this very spot, human sacrifices had been made using the rectangular block to spread out a victim on his back with his head hanging over the edge.

Using my pocketknife I began to scrape away the soil at the base of the sacrificial bowl. After digging for about fifteen minutes, I unearthed a pottery fragment and a small, dirt covered circular object. I retrieved a water bottle from my backpack and poured water over the item. Amazed, I saw that the object was a human tooth. I sat down, leaned against the sacrificial boulder, and closed my eyes. In my hand I held a sacrifice, an offering to a god. I asked myself how many sacrifices had been made at this spot. How much blood had run down this boulder and stained the very ground I sat on? I sensed fear around me and felt the vibration of pure terror swelling from the ground. I slowly rose from the ground and let the tooth fall from my hand. I kept walking and did not look back until I reach the main trail. How many? I asked. How many have been killed in the name of a god?