Human settlements in the area date to between , or the latter Preclassic period. These settlements were mostly located in the Contreras area and were under the control of Cuicuilco . After Cuicuilco was destroyed by an eruption of the Xitle volcano, inhabitants fled to higher elevations. The higher elevations were inhabited by the Otomi or the Chichimeca who were hunter-gatherers that lived in a stateless society. These peoples existed alongside the Nahuatlaca. The Tepanec eventually came to dominate the area, making it part of the Coyoacán dominion. With the rise of the Aztec, the Tepanec were conquered and the area was renamed Atlitic—stone that drinks water—after a large rock which rose above a small lake. Four settlements date from the pre-Hispanic period, San Bernabé Ocotepec, San Nicolás Totolapan, La Magdalena Atlitic and San Jeronimo Aculco.