Ajijic Delegado Hector España Ramos has announced that a plaque recognizing the historical value of the ancient turtle rock now beautifully positioned near Lake Chapala on the malecon will be dedicated on Thursday, April 3, 11 a.m.
According to the March 4, 2006 issue of the now defunct Ajijic Spanish newspaper “El Charal,” Teoayotzin (sacred turtle rock) was moved that year from its (presumed) original hilltop location just west of town to a spot near the cultural center in the plaza. The headlining short article revealed that the icon, long venerated by Ajijic’s ancestors, was once part of an ancient site of pre-Hispanic ceremonies and offerings.
The reporter explained that the move of the massive stone came following the sale of the land which apparently had been the site of Teopatzin (temple of the sacred standards – perhaps the colored flags of the cardinal directions in Náhuatl custom). When the new expat owner discovered the importance of the turtle rock, he contacted the Ajijic Delegación and offered to move the rock to a public location to ensure access to the people and that it never be privately owned.
The translation of the Náhuatl syllables of the word Teoayotzin is “the place of the sacred turtle.” Most of the indigenous groups of North America had legends featuring the turtle as a symbol of their relationship with the cosmos, and of the renewal of life. In Náhuatl mythology, all reptiles were sacred. Serpents were gods and the turtle was the symbol of mother earth.
Additional 2006 research for information about Teoayotzin depended by necessity on local oral history – a fascinating blend of fact and legend. An Ajijic artist reported hearing older family members discussing the turtle rock and a revered carved stone that stood together on a mountain near Villa Nova.Several of the people interviewed mentioned a dry riverbed at the west edge of Rancho del Oro. Most agreed with Luci Flores who said, “My grandmother called it the arroyo del tortuga because she said there was a turtle-shaped rock there.”
An Ajijic resident, Ricardo Fernandez, a descendant of several of the town’s largest and best-known families, was the source of the most interesting and detailed blend of information.
“I’ve always been told that the turtle rock and another large carved stone were left there above Las Salvias by people in the pre-Hispanic times,” he said.
He added a family legend which speculates that the ancient Aztecs walking from the far north may have stopped here for a time. “I’ve heard that the Aztecs should have built their kingdom here at Lake Chapala instead of continuing on to Mexico City. The signals they were looking for were all here – we have the islands, the nopales, the snakes and the eagles. There’s even Piedra Barranada, the bare hill on the curve east of San Juan Cosalá. From a distance, and the right angle, an eagle’s head is outlined in the side of the mountain.
“They say that second stone at Teopatzin, the one that is still on the private property, was probably more important and more sacred than the turtle rock. It is huge and round, like a drum and carved all around the outside with symbols, figures, people and animals. Some people think it is an old language and maybe instructions or directions for forming that city they were supposed to build here.”
According to local legends, the turtle rock played an important part in the lives of the people of Ajijic in more modern times.
“My great-grandfather told us that the turtle rock sat up on the hill, with a view of Mount Garcia and the other mountains on the other side of the lake. There were gold mines in the hills on this side – above Villa Nova and Rancho del Oro – just to the west of the land with the turtle rock.
“Sometimes the gold would run out and then there would be no work for the miners. It made hard times for the people in the pueblo. At that time, well, and still today, there are some who think that El Cerro Garcia was enchanted, and that it was filled with gold.”
The enchantment continues along with the telling of the legend, “My great-grandfather swore that when the mines had gone empty, the stone turtle turned his head from the view of the lake and Cerro Garcia and looked right at Cerro Colorado and the mountains on this side where the gold mines are. Every time the turtle’s head moved, the miners knew they could go back to work and when they did there was plenty of gold in the rocks.”
The native Ajijic storyteller shrugged and said, “Well we don’t know if it could really happen. It might just be a story, but my great-grandfather said the gold really did move to this side of the lake every time the turtle’s head moved and he never lied to me.”
Legends? Stories? Perhaps, but whether or not the old turtle rock moved to signal the arrival of gold in the mines, Teoayotzin surely witnessed a great many other wonderful events, including the grand ceremonies and offerings from the ancient ones nearly 1,000 years ago. After nearly a millennium it’s no wonder that a legendary rock that looks a little like a turtle holds great significance in the hearts of the people of Ajijic.
The plaque explaining the history of the turtle rock has been donated by Abbeyfield Retirement Home to honor their major benefactor, Elizabeth (Lissa) Taylor.