Long ago there was a great city, built by an unknown tribe, home to hundreds of thousands of people. It was a city carefully planned with broad avenues and monumental architecture; its structures rose to the sky. It was a city of art with mural paintings covering its buildings. It was a bustling center of manufacturing and trade; its influence spread far and wide. Then, for reasons unknown, the great metropolis, after flourishing for centuries, was abandoned. Later peoples would look upon its ruins and marvel that it had surely been built by the gods.
This is not a fairy tale or a story of science fiction. It is the story of the first great urban center of the Americas, the city of Teotihuacan. This archaeological site is located about thirty miles to the northeast of Mexico City, and is a "must-see" for any visitor to the Mexican capital. Going to Mexico City without seeing Teotihuacan, would be like going to Cairo and not seeing the Pyramids of Giza. In fact, Teotihuacan rivals the ruins of ancient Egypt.
No one knows who built this great city. We don't even know its true name. Teotihuacan is the name which the later Aztecs gave to the place. In their language it means "the place of the gods", for the Aztecs believed that it was here that the gods were born.
From the archaeological evidence, it would appear that the earliest buildings of this mysterious city date from 200 B.C., and that the city reached its peak around A.D. 450. So Teotihuacan was contemporaneous with ancient Rome. Like ancient Rome, its power and influence extended across a huge territory. We don't know if the city militarily created an empire, or if the influence was more cultural and economic. But we do know that trade goods from Teotihuacan have been found as far away as Honduras, and that the architecture and art of the Mayas and other civilizations, show Teotihuacan characteristics. In fact, it would appear that the rise and fall of the Mayan "classic" culture was linked to that of Teotihuacan.
In its heyday, Teotihuacan may have had a population of as many 250,000 inhabitants. It was a center of religious pilgrimage, but also was a major manufacturing and trade center. Implements of obsidian and distinctive pottery of a burnt orange color were sold all across Mexico and beyond.
Just as with the abandoned Mayan cities, the reason for the fall of Teotihuacan remains a topic of speculation. By A.D. 700 the city was abandoned. There is evidence in the ruins of a great fire, which led archaeologists to think that the city had been invaded. But now many believe that the city's own population may have rebelled against the ruling classes. We know that in the 6th century there were severe droughts which were the result of climate change. Skeletons from burials of that era show that malnutrition was widespread. Perhaps the hungry masses rebelled against the nobility, and the order needed to maintain this complex society disintegrated.
The present day ruins of Teotihuacan are crossed by a broad, two mile long road known as the Avenue of the Dead (Calzada de los Muertos). That name was given by the Aztecs who thought that the earth-covered ruins on either side of the road were burial mounds. In fact the avenue was lined with platforms upon which temples probably once stood.
At one end of the Avenue of the Dead stands a complex of structures known as the Citadel (la Ciudadela). This name, given by the Spanish, is also a misnomer. The Spanish saw the large area enclosed by walls, and thought that it was a fortress. In fact, it was most likely an enclosed plaza (capable of holding up to 100,000 people) where the inhabitants could witness religious ceremonies. In the center of the Citadel is the Pyramid of Quetzalcoatl.
It was customary in the civilizations of Mexico to build pyramids on top of existing structures. Many Mexican pyramids consist of numerous superimposed layers. This is true with the Pyramid of Quetzalcoatl. Archaeologists discovered that within the pyramid there was an earlier pyramid. What they found was so interesting that they cut a cross section through the pyramid to reveal the façade of what had been covered.
This façade was decorated with alternating carvings of a serpent head surrounded by feathers, and another monstrous-looking creature.
It is possible that these carvings represent earlier forms of two gods worshipped by the later Toltec and Aztecs peoples...
Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent...
and Tlaloc, the Rain God.
Half way down the Avenue of the Dead is Teotihuacan's most imposing structure, the Pyramid of the Sun. In terms of volume, it is the third largest pyramid in the world (The largest is the Pyramid of Cholula, Mexico, and the second largest is the Pyramid of Cheops in Egypt.) Although burials have been found within some Mexican pyramids, unlike the Egyptian pyramids, their primary purpose was not as tombs. They were platforms on which to build their temples closer to the heavens.
And, of course, each time I visit Teotihuacan, I feel obligated to climb the pyramid!
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(Photo taken by Alejandro)
The buildings of Teotihuacan were once covered with a smooth layer of stucco and brightly painted. In places there are fragments of mural paintings such as this image of a jaguar.
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The Avenue of the Dead continues on to the Pyramid of the Moon.
Although the Pyramid of the Moon is not as tall, it is built on higher ground, and it provides a stunning vista of this magnificent archaeological site.
