Español

Abstract

In the Nahuatl language there is a word related to tepetate: "tepetlatl", which refers to a volcanic geological material, precursor of soil. However, in the Spanish language it has been confused and inaccurately generalized with the term "tepetlatlalli or tepetlalli", which describes the product generated from the crumbling and fertilization of tepetlatl, that is, a soil formed by man. This situation has complicated the understanding of the formation processes, the analysis techniques, the use and management of these materials, in places where the pressure for land and the increase of degraded areas force the settlers and researchers to work according to pre-Hispanic principles, learned from the close contact with the earth. Due to the relevance of tepetates in soil formation and their implication in environmental degradation processes, it was considered necessary to refer in this paper to tepetates in a local and scientific way, with particular emphasis on the historical confusion of the use of the concept to describe soils and not geological materials.