Teotihuacan History

Teotihuacan is a pre-Columbian city located 25 miles north of Mexico City. The site is known for its two large pyramids and numerous residential buildings. The ancient city also had a main street, leading from the Pyramid of the Moon, called the 'Avenue of the Dead.' The inhabitants of Teotihuacan have never been fully agreed upon by archaeologists. Some archaeologists say they were Totonac, while others have suggested that they were Otami. Currently, the leading theory is that Teotihuacan was a multi-ethnic city comprising of more than one indigenous culture. Teotihuacan reached its peak in the early first millennium with an estimated 150,000 inhabitants, making it one of the largest cities in the world at its time. The city was abandoned sometime in the 6th century. There is no definitive reason why the city was abandoned, theories range from a huge drought, an internal uprising, or an invasion from the neighboring Toltec civilization.

Teotihuacan is most famous for its two large pyramids: The Pyramid of the Sun, and the slightly smaller Pyramid of the Moon. These were the names given to the pyramids by the Aztecs after the city had collapsed. The original names of the two pyramids are unknown. The Pyramid of the Sun was built in two phases. The second phase was completed around 200 AD with the height of the pyramid around 250 feet. The Pyramid of the Sun is the second largest pyramid by volume in North America, and the third largest by volume in the world (behind the Great Pyramid of Giza, and the Great Pyramid of Cholula). There is also evidence that an altar was built at the top of this pyramid. The altar has since been removed and destroyed. The Pyramid of the Moon is the smaller of the two pyramids, and it sits at the end of the Avenue of the Dead. Recent Excavations show that this pyramid was built in 6 phases, with the last phase completed around 450 AD. Like the pyramids in Egypt and the rest of the world, these pyramids were built as burial chambers for the leaders of the civilization. Human and animal remains have been found within both pyramids during archaeological excavations at Teotihuacan.

The layout of the site has also baffled historians and has lead to a couple theories. The Mesoamerican pyramids were not built to face the true north, east, west, and south directions as were most Egyptian pyramids. Instead, the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon were angled at 15.5 degrees from true north. One theory states that this is due to the fact that the sun rose at that same angle during the same summer day each year and it was used to calibrate their sense of time or as a marker on when to plant crops or perform certain rituals. Another theory is that there are numerous ancient sites in Mesoamerica that seem to be orientated with the tallest mountain in the area, and that this is also appears to be the case at Teotihuacan. Although the mountain that it appears to be orientated with is not visible from within the Teotihuacan complex due to a close mountain ridge.

The ruins at Teotihuacan largely remain a mystery. Nobody knows for sure who lived there and what happened to the civilization. Even the name 'Teotihuacan' came later by the Aztecs as nobody knows the original name of the city. What we do know is that this civilization left behind beautiful pyramids, structures, paintings, and wall murals that have given us a little insight on how they lived out their daily lives, but with no real details on who they were, where they came from, and what happened to them.

Teotihuacan: Wonder of the World

On May 20th, 2009, Teotihuacan was voted as the 7th of 12 Wonders of the World on our own Wonders of the World Vote. The other six already voted in are Machu Picchu in Peru, The Colosseum in Rome, The Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, The Great Wall of China in China, The Taj Mahal in India, and Angkor Wat in Cambodia.