TEOTIHUACAN CIVILIZATION OF MEXICO

This ancient commercial and religious center is found in the central valley of Mexico, which is just to the northeast of today’s Mexico City.  Although this area was believed once to be the religious hub for the Toltec people, it is now a relic of earlier civilization.  As the largest and most dramatic of all urban sites for ancient America, you will find a number of sites that show interesting things about the Teotihuacan civilization.  For example, you would find the Pyramid of the Sun, which stands 216 feet tall, covering a full 10 acres, making it the largest in all of Mexico.

This particular pyramid constructed by the Teotihuacan people overwhelms the symmetrical ground plan, which is carefully laid out in grid form that runs along the primary thoroughfares.  This pattern actually includes the central axis of the city, which is called the Street of the Dead.  In addition to the pyramid, the Teotihuacan people also built the Citadel, which contains the Temple of Quetzalcoatl because of the carvings of feathered serpents, the Pyramid of the Moon, the Quetzalpapalotl Palace, and then the Temple of Agriculture.

Historians tell us that the Teotihuacan civilization of Mexico began sometime around 100BC.  Then from AD 300 to 900, the culture grew and flourished, seeing a huge boost in the number of people.  Through a number of excavations, we also know that several large, chambered structures were constructed.  The carving style of the Teotihuacan people was quite intriguing, often symbolizing ceramic decoration, stone masks, and beautiful mural wall paintings.

Designs from these relics show genuine concern for these people for cosmological issues, which indicates they had some type of complex religious belief system.  In fact, recent archaeological finds show that the Teotihuacan civilization was very, commercialized and that this area was a religious center.

Throughout the city, strong cultural influence can be seen, even as far away as the highlands of Guatemala and the lowlands of Maya.  Even heading to valleys of Oaxaca, you can see how the Teotihuacan people had influence.  It appears that one area of the city was an Oaxaca colony.  Even so, you cannot escape the Teotihuacan culture, which seems in many cases to have put them ahead of their time.