The broad forested ridge in the center of this photo is the Tenango lava flow, which was erupted about 8,500 radiocarbon years ago from an E-W-trending fissure at the western margin of the Chichinautzin volcanic field. It forms a prominent isolated mesa on which the fortified city of Teotenango with its many pyramids and courts was built by the Matlatzinca people about 1000 BCE.

Photo by Lee Siebert, 2004 (Smithsonian Institution).

This image is made available under the Public Domain Dedication CC0 license, but proper attribution is appreciated.

Keywords: lava flow | volcanic field

Chichinautzin