Teotihuacán
Teotihuacán, located in present-day Mexico, was the largest city in the Americas prior to European contact, recognized for its impressive archaeological significance and as a key tourist destination. The city, which was constructed over a span of more than seven centuries, features a highly organized urban layout centered around the Avenue of the Dead, dividing it into four quadrants with various neighborhoods containing apartment complexes and temples. At its peak, the population is estimated to have reached between 100,000 and 200,000 residents.
The most iconic structures of Teotihuacán are the Pyramid of the Sun, the largest pre-Columbian pyramid in Mesoamerica, and the Pyramid of the Moon, believed to be dedicated to the rain deity Tlaloc. Despite its grandeur, much about Teotihuacán remains enigmatic, as the people left no written records, and their language and cultural practices are still not fully understood. Scholars recognize that the city was influential across Mesoamerica, with its cultural symbols and political connections extending to other significant civilizations, including the Maya. Even centuries after its decline, the site continued to hold spiritual importance for the Aztecs, who visited to honor its legacy.
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Subject Terms
Teotihuacán
Date: 1–750 CE
Locale: 25 miles (40 kilometers) northeast of Mexico City, Mexico
Teotihuacán
Teotihuacán (tay-oh-tee-wah-KAHN), located in present-day Mexico, was the largest known city to arise in the Americas before the arrival of Europeans and remains an important archaeological site and tourist attraction. The construction of Teotihuacán continued for more than seven hundred years, and its expansive yet highly organized urban core reflects a master plan developed by its earliest inhabitants. The city is arranged on a grid with a major north-south street, currently known as the Avenue of the Dead, which intersects with another east-west street to divide the city into four quadrants. These quadrants contained barrios (neighborhoods) each with numerous apartment compounds and temples that housed thousands of people. The substantial buildings and walls of this ancient city were built from stone and plaster, and it is thought that 100,000 to 200,000 people lived at Teotihuacán during its height.
The most famous architectural features of Teotihuacán are the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon. The Pyramid of the Sun is the largest pre-Columbian pyramid in Mesoamerica and is thought to have been dedicated to a goddess, the primary creator who is associated with creation and fertility. The Pyramid of the Moon is smaller and scholars believe it was dedicated to Tlaloc, the masculine deity of rain, lightning, and thunder.
Much of Teotihuacán's history remains a mystery because there are no written records associated with the people of this culture (also referred to as Teotihuacán). Although evidence indicates they had a system of writing and used astronomical calendars, they did not make any known efforts to record historic dates, events, or even names of rulers. Furthermore, scholars do not know the language they spoke, and even the name Teotihuacán (in Nahuatl, "place of the gods" or "place where the gods were created") was only given this city by the Aztecs, a culture that lived in the same region nearly six centuries later. The strict orientation and organization of the city plan, however, combined with the standardization of murals, ceramics, stone tools, symbols, and styles, indicate there was a strong central authority at Teotihuacán.
Teotihuacán was exceedingly influential on many levels throughout Mesoamerica. Its symbols of warfare and religion, such as the butterfly, Tlaloc eyes, and the atlatl (spear-thrower), have been found in many other Mesoamerican cultures, including the Maya, Mixtec, Toltec, Zapotec, and Aztec. During its most influential times, it is thought that Teotihuacán created long-distance political and economic ties with great Maya cities such as Tikal and Copán. Furthermore, the importance of Teotihuacán civilization, including the beliefs and ideas of its inhabitants, endured hundreds of years after 750 CE. Evidence indicates the Aztec rulers and elite returned regularly to the abandoned city of Teotihuacán to conduct rituals and communicate with the ancients who came before them.
World Heritage Site
Today Teotihuacán is among the most-visited historic sites in Mexico and a major tourist attraction for the country, in part due to its relatively close proximity to Mexico City. It also remains an invaluable source of artifacts and information about prehistoric and pre-Columbian civilization in the Americas, with researchers actively working to further uncover details about the site and its inhabitants. However, the site faces threats from such heavy use and visitation, from encroaching development, and from natural wear of the elements. For this reason efforts have been made to protect Teotihuacán in various ways so it can continue to be seen by visitors and provide active scientific value.
An important step in recognizing Teotihuacán's importance and protecting it for future generations came in 1987, when it was designated a World Heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The official designation of the Pre-Hispanic City of Teotihuacán notes the site's uniquely massive structures—particularly the pyramids—and the great influence of the Teotihuacán civilization in the region as evidence of the necessity of protecting this resource. UNESCO states that the site is a one-of-a-kind architectural achievement and a work of art that has transcended cultures in its influence and capacity to inspire awe. Though management of Teotihuacán remains under the Mexican National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), UNESCO's World Heritage Committee works to recommend conservation guidelines, monitoring plans, and other efforts to preserve and protect this global treasure.
Bibliography
Carrasco, David, Lindsay Jones, and Scott Sessions. Mesoamerica’s Classic Heritage: From Teotihuacán to the Aztecs. Boulder: University Press of Colorado, 2000.
Coe, Michael. Mexico. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1994.
Pasztory, Esther. Teotihuacán: An Experiment in Living. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1997.
"Pre-Hispanic City of Teotihuacan." UNESCO. UNESCO World Heritage Centre, 2016. Web. 7 Sept. 2016.
"Teotihuacan, Place of the Gods." VisitMexico. Mexico Tourism Board, 2012. Web. 7 Sept. 2016.