Pyramids of Teotihuacan
Teotihuacan (also written Teotihuacán) is laid out in a grid layout that covers approximately 8 square miles (20 square kilometers). It contains approximately 2,000 single-story apartments, as well as various pyramids, squares, temples, and palaces of nobles and priests.
The main buildings of Teotihuacan are connected by the Avenue of the Dead (or Miccaotli in Aztec Nahuatl language). The Avenue of the Dead is a road 130 feet (40 meters) wide and 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long that is oriented slightly east (15.5 degrees) of true north and points directly towards the neighboring sacred summit. Cerro Gordo, an extinct volcano.
The city contains several large, significant structures: the Pyramid of the Moon, the Pyramid of the Sun, the Ciudadela (“Citadel”), and the Temple of Quetzalcoatl (the Feathered Serpent).
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Pyramid of the Sun
Surrounded by smaller pyramids and platforms, the Pyramid of the Moon is located at the northern end of the Avenue of the Dead and faces south. At 140 feet (43 meters) high and with a base measuring 426 feet by 511 feet (130 by 156 meters), the Pyramid of the Moon is the second largest structure in Teotihuacan.
Less than half a mile south of the Pyramid of the Moon is Teotihuacan’s largest structure, the Pyramid of the Sun. Facing west, the pyramid measures 216 feet (66 meters) with a base measuring approximately 720 feet by 760 feet (220 by 230 meters).
La Ciudadela is located at the southern end of the Avenue of the Dead. The 38-acre (15-hectare) courtyard contains several elite residential complexes and is dominated by the Temple of Quetzalcoatl, a sort of truncated pyramid adorned with numerous stone heads of the Feathered Serpent deity.
Who built Teotihuacan?
It is not known who built the ancient city.
Scholars once believed that the ancient Toltec civilization might have built this massive city, relying largely on texts from the colonial period. But the Toltec culture (AD 900-1150) flourished hundreds of years after Teotihuacan’s heyday.
Other scholars believe that the Totonacs, an eastern tribe, built and inhabited the city.
Another theory holds that immigrants flocked to the Teotihuacan Valley following the eruption of a volcano and that these immigrants built or expanded the city. Teotihuacan appears to contain characteristics of various cultures, notably the MayaMixtec and Zapotec.
Regardless, Teotihuacan was founded as early as 400 BC, although the city’s largest structures were not completed until around 300 AD.
The city is thought to have reached its peak around 100 years later, with a population of up to 200,000.
Religion in Teotihuacan
Little is known about the language, politics, culture, and religion of the people of Teotihuacan. They had a written language based on glyphs, but it was perhaps limited to dates and names.
The art and architecture of the city show that it was a polytheistic society, whose main deity was the great goddess of Teotihuacan, represented as a spider goddess. Other deities include Quetzalcoatl (a vegetation god whose meaning changed in later civilizations), the rain god Tlaloc, and the spring god Xipe Totec, among others.
The priests of Teotihuacan performed ritual sacrifices of animals and people to these gods.
In 1989, researchers discovered 18 sacrificial victims buried in a long pit just south of the Temple of Quetzalcoatl. They discovered that around 200 other victims had been sacrificed during the construction of the temple at the beginning of the 3rd century AD. Many of these sacrifices were male warriors in military attire, others were young women, and still others were men probably of relatively high social status.
More recently, in 2004, archaeologists discovered evidence of sacrifices at the Pyramid of the Moon, suggesting that the site was a place of celebration of state power and militarism.
These sacrifices included 12 people, their hands tied behind their backs, 10 of whom were decapitated and thrown into the pyramid’s burial vault. The other two sacrifices were richly decorated.
Other sacrifices to the pyramid include five canids (wolves or coyotes), three felines (jaguar or puma), and 13 birds (many thought to be eagles), animals considered symbols of warriors.
Influence of Teotihuacan
Artifacts found in the city and at sites Mexico suggest that Teotihuacan was a wealthy trading metropolis in its heyday.
The city notably exported beautiful obsidian tools, including spear and dart tips. Teotihuacan had a monopoly on the obsidian trade: the most important deposit in Mesoamerica was located near the city.
Ceramics, like pottery and other luxury goods, were also popular exports due to their elaborate decorations. Other goods entering and leaving the city probably included cotton, cocoa, and exotic feathers and shells, among others.
Local crops included beans, avocados, peppers, and squash, and the town’s farmers raised chickens and turkeys.
The artistic and architectural styles of Teotihuacan are found widely throughout Mesoamerica, suggesting that the city had considerable influence.
Collapse of Teotihuacan
It is unclear why Teotihuacan collapsed.
Around 600 AD, important buildings were deliberately burned and works of art and religious sculptures were destroyed, suggesting an uprising of the poor against the ruling elite.
Another theory is that the invaders looted and burned it. Although Teotihuacan exercised military power over other cultures, the city lacked fortifications and military structures.
By 750 AD, the city’s remaining inhabitants had all abandoned their homes to join neighboring cultures or return to their ancestral homes.
Currently researching
In 2003, a heavy rainstorm opened a large chasm at the Temple of Quetzalcoatl; Researchers have since excavated the site.
By the end of 2015, they had unearthed 75,000 artifacts of various types, including shells, pottery, animal bones and human skin. They also discovered a large chamber containing a large quantity of jewelry and other treasures, such as amber pots, black stone statues and other ritual relics.
Sources
Teotihuacan. National geographic.
Pre-Hispanic city of Teotihuacan. UNESCO.
A secret tunnel discovered in Mexico could finally solve the mysteries of Teotihuacan. Smithsonian.
Teotihuacan. The encounter.
Ritual sacrifice and feathered serpent pyramid in Teotihuacan, Mexico. Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, Inc.
Define Teotihuacan; The discoveries shed new light on the ancient city. Arizona State University.
