- Nahuatl:
- “The City of the Gods”
- Related Topics:
- Indigenous peoples of the Americas
- Teotihuacán civilization
- Related Places:
- Mexico
Teotihuacán
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What is Teotihuacán?
Teotihuacán was the largest and most important city in pre-Aztec central Mexico, located about 30 miles northeast of Mexico City. By 500 CE, Teotihuacán covered approximately 8 square miles and had an estimated population of 125,000–200,000, making it one of the world's largest cities at the time. It served as the region's major economic and religious center and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.
The city featured plazas, temples, palaces, and a main road called the Avenue of the Dead. The Pyramid of the Sun, one of the largest structures in the Western Hemisphere, is in the ancient city. The origin and language of the Teotihuacanos remain unknown, but their cultural influence spread throughout Mesoamerica through trade and religious practices.
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Where is Teotihuacán located?
Teotihuacán, the largest and most important pre-Aztec city in central Mexico, is located approximately 30 miles (50 km) northeast of modern Mexico City. Around 500 CE, it was one of the world's largest cities, covering approximately 8 square miles (20 square km) with an estimated population of 125,000–200,000. Teotihuacán was the region’s major economic and religious center and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987. The city's cultural influences spread throughout Mesoamerica, and it traded with distant regions. The name Teotihuacán meant "City of the Gods" in Aztec times.
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When was Teotihuacán built?
Construction of Teotihuacán, the largest city in pre-Aztec central Mexico, started around the beginning of the Common Era (approximately 1 CE) during the Tzacualli phase. During this time, the main avenues were laid out, and the construction of major ceremonial structures along the Avenue of the Dead began. The Pyramid of the Sun was erected by the end of this phase. By 500 CE, Teotihuacán encompassed approximately 8 square miles (20 square km) and had an estimated population of 125,000–200,000.
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What are the most famous structures in Teotihuacán?
The most famous structures in Teotihuacán, the largest pre-Aztec city in central Mexico, include the Pyramid of the Sun, the Pyramid of the Moon, and the Temple of Quetzalcóatl.
Rising 216 feet above ground level, the Pyramid of the Sun is one of the largest structures of its type in the Western Hemisphere. The Pyramid of the Moon is the second largest structure in the city. Within Teotihuacán's Citadel stands the Temple of Quetzalcóatl, featuring decorated walls with numerous stone heads of the deity.
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Who lived in Teotihuacán and what was life like there?
Teotihuacán, the largest and most important city in pre-Aztec central Mexico, was inhabited by people whose origin and language remain unknown. At its peak around 500 CE, Teotihuacán was one of the largest cities in the world, with an estimated population of 125,000–200,000.
Daily life for many of Teotihuacán's residents involved farming the surrounding fields, while others were skilled artisans working with ceramics or obsidian. The city was also a major economic center with a large merchant population. Priests governed Teotihuacán and organized grand religious ceremonies, sometimes involving human sacrifices. The elite lived in luxurious walled compounds decorated with murals, while those less well-off resided in smaller, simpler apartments.
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Why did Teotihuacán become an important city, and what led to its decline?
Teotihuacán rose to prominence due to its strategic location, advanced agriculture, and thriving commerce, becoming Mesoamerica's largest city by the 6th century CE. Its influence spread throughout the region, marked by unique architecture and widespread trade networks.
Around 750 CE, central Teotihuacán was burned, possibly due to internal conflict or civil war. While some areas remained occupied, the city largely fell into ruin, though it remained a revered site for the Aztecs centuries later.
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Teotihuacán, the most important and largest city of pre-Aztec central Mexico, located about 30 miles (50 km) northeast of modern Mexico City. At its apogee (c. 500 ce), it encompassed some 8 square miles (20 square km) and supported a population estimated at 125,000–200,000, making it, at the time, one of the largest cities in the world. It was the region’s major economic as well as religious centre. Teotihuacán was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.
The area was settled by 400 bce, but it did not experience large-scale urban growth until three centuries later, with the arrival of refugees from Cuicuilco, a city destroyed by volcanic activity. It is not known whether the basic urban plan also dates to that time. About 750 ce central Teotihuacán burned, possibly during an insurrection or a civil war. Although parts of the city were occupied after that event, much of it fell into ruin. Centuries later the area was revered by Aztec pilgrims.
The origin and language of the Teotihuacanos are yet unknown. Their cultural influences spread throughout Mesoamerica, and the city carried on trade with distant regions. Perhaps two-thirds of the urban population were involved in farming the surrounding fields. Others worked with ceramics or obsidian, a volcanic glass that was used for weapons, tools, and ornamentation. The city also had large numbers of merchants, many of whom had immigrated there from great distances. The priest-rulers who governed the city also staged grand religious pageants and ceremonies that often involved human sacrifices.
In addition to some 2,000 single-story apartment compounds, the ruined city contains great plazas, temples, a canalized river, and palaces of nobles and priests. The main buildings are connected by a 130-foot- (40-metre-) wide road, the Avenue of the Dead (“Calle de los Muertos”), that stretches 1.5 miles (2.4 km); oriented slightly east of true north, it points directly at the nearby sacred peak of Cerro Gordo. The Avenue of the Dead was once erroneously thought to have been lined with tombs, but the low buildings that flank it probably were palace residences.
The north end of the Avenue of the Dead is capped by the Pyramid of the Moon and flanked by platforms and lesser pyramids. The second largest structure in the city, the Pyramid of the Moon rises to 140 feet (43 metres) and measures 426 by 511 feet (130 by 156 metres) at its base. Its main stairway faces the Avenue of the Dead.
Along the southern part of the avenue lies the Ciudadela (“Citadel”), a large square courtyard covering 38 acres (15 hectares). Within the Citadel stands the Temple of Quetzalcóatl (the Feathered Serpent) in the form of a truncated pyramid; projecting from its ornately decorated walls are numerous stone heads of the deity. The temple walls were once painted in hematite red. Excavations of the Citadel were first carried out during the period 1917–20. Individual burial sites were found around the temple in 1925, and in the early 1980s archaeologists discovered the ceremonially interred remains of 18 men, probably soldiers who had been ritually sacrificed. Carbon-14 dating indicated that the graves were prepared about 200 ce. Further work has revealed more than 130 skeletons of both sexes in mass graves along the edges of the temple, as well as beneath it.
The Pyramid of the Sun is one of the largest structures of its type in the Western Hemisphere. It dominates the central city from the east side of the Avenue of the Dead. The pyramid rises 216 feet (66 metres) above ground level, and it measures approximately 720 by 760 feet (220 by 230 metres) at its base. It was constructed of about 1,000,000 cubic yards (765,000 cubic metres) of material, including hewed tezontle, a red coarse volcanic rock of the region. During hastily organized restoration work in 1905–10, the architect Leopoldo Batres arbitrarily added a fifth terrace level to the structure, and many of its original facing stones were removed. In the early 1970s exploration below the pyramid revealed a system of cave and tunnel chambers. Over subsequent years other tunnels were revealed throughout the city, and it was suggested that much of the building stone of Teotihuacán was mined there.
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The city was initially excavated in 1884. In the 1960s and ’70s the first systematic survey (the Teotihuacán Mapping Project) was led by the American archaeologist René Millon, and hundreds of workers in 1980–82 excavated under the direction of the Mexican archaeologist Rubén Cabrera Castro. Work in the 1990s focused on the city’s subterranean tunnels and on the apartment compounds, which were found to be decorated with vividly painted murals. Long-standing threats to the greater area of ruins are posed by human habitation (including five towns), numerous shops, roads and highways, and a military base. Many neighbourhoods excavated in the late 20th century had been earlier cultivated by farmers. See also pre-Columbian civilizations: Teotihuacán.