TEOTIHUACAN CULTURE: CHARACTERISTICS, HISTORY, TRADITIONS - CULTURE VOCABULARY

The Teotihuacan culture was a pre-Columbian culture of Mexico. It is one of those that holds more mysteries, since there is no documentary reference made by the Spaniards of that time about this civilization. This culture had already disappeared long before the arrival of the Spanish.

Even when the Aztecs arrived, it is estimated that this culture had disappeared for around 1000 years. Thus, much of what is known about the Teotihuacán culture comes from the archaeological finds from their city, Teotihuacán. This city has been considered the largest pre-Columbian city in America.

Avenue of the Dead in Teotihuacán

It was also one of the most populated cities in the world at the time. It is estimated that Teotihuacán had a population of between 125,000 and 250,000 people. Teotihuacán became the seat of the Teotihuacán culture, a civilization that spread to much of central Mexico.

Additionally, the Teotihuacan influence came to be felt throughout Mesoamerica. The city's districts were home to people from all over the Teotihuacan Empire, and its monumental architecture was characterized by stepped pyramids. Later, Mayans and Aztecs adopted this characteristic.

Archaeological evidence indicates that its decline began between the 5th century AD. C. and VI d. These same archaeological records indicate that the city was burned and abandoned between the 7th centuries AD. C. and VIII d. C.

The reasons for this abandonment have not been established. The increase in wars may have been a major factor. This statement is supported by an increase in the amount of warlike elements in the art and ceramic artifacts of that time.

Another of the hypotheses used speaks of a possible uprising of the poorer classes against the Teotihuacan ruling class. Evidence of burning and looting has been found in structures and homes associated with the ruling elites.

History of Teotihuacán

Both the origin of its founders and the history of the beginnings of Teotihuacán are still debated. For many years, archaeologists believed that its construction was due to the Toltecs.

This belief was supported by certain Aztec writings. However, according to Nahuatl (Aztec) language, the Toltec word is translated as "great craftsman." The question remains whether the mentions refer to artisans or the Toltec civilization.

Today it is claimed that the city was established around 400 BC. C. It is believed that the founders were refugees from the ancient city of Cuicuilco (Olmec) who fled from the volcanic activity that destroyed their homes.

Thus, archaeologists now hold that Teotihuacán predates the Toltec civilization, dismissing them as the founders of the city. The influence of the Olmecs on their culture and architecture is unquestionable.

Meaning of the name

The name Teotihuacán was given by the Nahuatl-speaking Aztec people centuries after the fall of the city.

The term has been interpreted as "the birthplace of the gods," reflecting Aztec belief myths about the city. Another translation interprets the name as "place of those who have the way of the gods." Today, Teotihuacán is designated as a Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Geographical location and where it was developed

The city is located approximately 50 km northeast of Mexico City, in the basin of Mexico. Teotihuacán is aligned, like other Mesoamerican cities, on a north-south axis.

The geographic distribution of the city is a good example of the Mesoamerican tradition of planning cities, settlements, and buildings as a representation of their vision of the universe.

Many of the rich and powerful of Teotihuacán lived in palaces near the temples. The largest of these temples covered more than 3000 m².

Urban grid

Teotihuacan

Teotihuacán is a testament to the greatness of its people, who built the first American city in a grid shape. Its urban grid is aligned exactly 15.5º east of north.

This alignment is evident by the central artery of the city, known as Avenida de los Muertos, which stretches more than 2 km throughout the entire length of Teotihuacán. It is also aligned with the Cerro Gordo mountain, north of the Pyramid of the Moon.

The grid construction helped establish order for the religious, domestic and commercial complexes. It also gave a structural coherence that supported the management of the city and its population. Similarly, thousands of apartment complexes reflect the orderly planning of the site.

Characteristics of the Teotihuacan culture

This city, located in the Central Basin of Mexico, was the largest, most influential and undoubtedly the most revered city in the history of the New World. It flourished in the Golden Age of Mesoamerica.

This shows part of a mural in the Tepantitla complex in the Teotihuacán ruins. This mural appears directly below the image of the Great Goddess of Teotihuacán. It is noted that there are no less than 20 scrolls representing speech.

Dominated by two gigantic pyramids and a huge sacred avenue, the city, its architecture, art, and religion would influence all subsequent Mesoamerican cultures. Today it is still the most visited site in Mexico.

In relation to other Mesoamerican cultures, Teotihuacán was contemporary with the early Classic Maya, but predated the Toltec civilization (900-1150 AD).

Located in the valley of the same name, the city was formed between 150 BC and 200 AD and benefited from an abundant supply of spring water that was channeled through irrigation. Its population was about 200,000 inhabitants.

Teotihuacán is actually the Aztec name of the city, which means "Place of the Gods." Unfortunately, the original name still remains to be deciphered.

Economy based on natural resources

The city's prosperity was based in part on the control of the valuable obsidian deposits in nearby Pachuca, which were used to make large quantities of spear heads and darts and which were also a commercial base.

Other goods that entered and left the city were: cotton, salt, cocoa to make chocolate, exotic feathers and shells.

Irrigation, natural soil attributes, and local climate resulted in crops such as corn, beans, squash, tomato, amaranth, avocado, cactus, and chili. These vegetables were grown through the chinampa system of raised and flooded fields that would later be used so effectively by the Aztecs.

Writing and language

Teotihuacán also had its own writing system, which was similar to but more rudimentary than the Mayan system. It was made up of a number system represented by points and bars and by glyphs.

Military power

At its peak, the city controlled a large area of Mexico's central highlands and likely exacted tribute from conquered territories through the threat of military attack.

The fearsome warriors of Teotihuacán, as shown in murals, wore dart throwers and rectangular shields, impressive feathered suits, shell goggles, and mirrors on their backs.

Polytheistic religion

The most important deity of Teotihuacán seems to have been, unusually for Mesoamerica, a female. The Spider goddess was a creative deity and was represented in murals and sculptures. Normally, she wears a mask similar to a spider's mouth.

Other gods who would become familiar in subsequent Mesoamerican civilizations included the goddess of water, Chalchiuhtlicue, who is depicted on a 10-foot-tall stone statue, and the god of war Tlaloc.

Other deities often depicted in Teotihuacán art and architecture include the feathered serpent god Xipe Totec, who represented agricultural renewal (especially corn), and the creator god known as the God of Old Fire.

Design and character

The city was dominated by the wide Avenue of the Dead (or Miccaotli, as the Aztecs called it), which is 40 meters wide and 3.2 km long.

The avenue began in the agricultural fields and passed through the market, the Citadel, the Pyramid of the Sun, many other minor temples and ceremonial precincts, and culminated in the Pyramid of the Moon, which pointed towards the sacred mountain Cerro Gordo.

Archeology has discovered that the original avenue was much longer than what is visible today. The site is dominated by the two great pyramids of the Sun and the Moon, and the Temple of Quetzalcoatl, but most of the buildings were more modest and take the form of small groups of buildings (more than 2,000) arranged around a courtyard.

The art of Teotihuacán

The art of Teotihuacán, represented in sculptures, pottery, and murals, is highly stylized and minimalist.

The stone masks were made using jade and basalt, often highly polished, and with the details, especially the eyes, made with obsidian. These masks were also made in clay and would have once adorned statues and mummies.

Many of the buildings in Teotihuacán were decorated with murals, most of which portray religious events, especially processions, but also scenes with details of landscapes, architecture, and especially watery scenes such as fountains and rivers.

Bright colors were used and shades of red were especially popular and were used to represent gods, sacrifices, and warriors.

The importance of mica

Archaeologists have found large amounts of mica in Teotihuacán, but this mineral is found 50,000 kilometers away in Brazil. Mica is present in almost every building in Teotihuacán.

Mica was known to ancient Indian, Egyptian, Greek, and Roman and Chinese civilizations, as well as the Aztec civilization.

The mysterious spheres

Archaeologists have discovered hundreds of mysterious spheres, once metallic, buried under an ancient pyramid in Mexico City. It is not yet known what they are for.

The importance of priests

The priests had a fundamental role in the Teotihuacan culture. Only they were allowed to climb to the top of the pyramids to perform rituals and ceremonies.

Immigrants

The Mayans and Zapotecs lived in Teotihuacán as immigrants. Archaeologists have found texts in the city belonging to the Mayans and Zapotecs.

Pyramids

The most important pyramids of the Teotihuacan culture are that of the Sun, that of the Moon and the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent.

Pyramid of the Sun

This pyramid reaches a height of more than 60 meters. It is believed that, when it was built, it was the third tallest structure from pre-Hispanic times. It was built over a cave, and it is not known in honor of which deity it was raised.

However, some art historians have suggested that it was built in homage to creation. According to mythology, the Aztecs and Mayans refer to caves as places of origin and fertility. Recent archaeological finds seem to suggest that the pyramid was erected to pay homage to igneous source cults.

The pyramid was designed to mark the path of the Sun. It has a steep 260-step staircase that starts from the Avenue of the Dead.

This staircase sinuously rises on five levels to what is now a bare flat top.

Pyramid of the Moon

This construction is more than 45 meters high. It is the second tallest structure in the city after the Pyramid of the Sun. At its front is its ceremonial plaza, the Temple of Quetzalcóatl.

The Pyramid of the Moon was named after the Aztecs who discovered Teotihuacán centuries after the original inhabitants and builders had left the area.

It is the starting point of the Avenue of the Dead, the main road that runs through the old city.

The Pyramid of the Moon was the first great building in the city. It was built between 200 and 250 AD. C. throughout 7 successive stages. It was dedicated to the Great Goddess of water, fertility, earth and creation.

Sacrifices

This monument and the square were main religious and sacrificial centers. The first human sacrifice is estimated to have occurred around 200 AD. C. The tombs in the pyramid contain animal and human sacrifices.

Recently, archaeologists have discovered a secret tunnel under the pyramid. It is about 10 meters in length and runs from the central plaza known as the Plaza de la Luna to the nearby pyramid.

Archaeologists report that it is similar to other tunnels that have recently been discovered in other pyramids in the city of Teotihuacán.

Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent

This pyramid occupies a large open space between the pyramid of the Sun and the pyramid of the Moon. Like other constructions at Teotihuacán, the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent was built in the talud-board style.

This style consists of a sloping wall (talus) that is surmounted by a vertical wall (board). The temple is highlighted by a sculpture representing a feathered serpent, known by its Aztec name Quetzalcoatl.

Meaning of the feathered serpent

The feathered serpent is associated with images of water. It is depicted numerous times on the outside of the temple as a waving serpent navigating among seashells (at the top).

Also, two faces project out of the temple. One of the faces represents the feathered serpent (upper left part of the temple). The other side represents a version of the Aztec god Tlaloc (known for his bulging eyes), and is associated with rain and war (upper right of the temple).

Most specialists agree that this temple was associated with war and human sacrifice. In the 1980s archaeologists found skeletal remains, presumably of warriors.

Speculation has also arisen as to whether the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent may have contained the body of a monarch.

The shape of the pyra

The layout of the city of Teotihuacán strangely resembles a computer circuit board with two large processor chips: the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon.

Furthermore, the great pyramid of Khufu in Giza and the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacán apparently have the same base: almost 230 square meters.

Traditions of the Teotihuacan culture

Like other Mesoamerican cultures, the Teotihuacan culture was polytheistic. Their gods were varied and all ruled over specific areas of daily life. Traditions were aimed at honoring or appeasing them.

According to their mythology, the world had undergone four cycles or "suns." Because the Teotihuacan civilization thought they were living in the fifth "sun", they expected the end of the world at any moment.

Human sacrifices as tradition

To postpone this catastrophic event, human sacrifice became a tradition. It was also a tradition to sacrifice humans to achieve good omens, during the construction of new buildings or at the end of extensions.

Human bodies and animal sacrifices have been found in the excavations of the pyramids. The victims were likely enemy warriors captured in battle, then brought to the city to be sacrificed.

Some were beheaded, had their hearts removed, or were killed by being hit multiple times on the head. Some were even buried alive.

Animals that were considered sacred - and represented mythical powers and military might - were also buried alive in their cages. In the pyramids, the remains of pumas, wolves, eagles, hawks, owls and poisonous snakes have been found.

farming

According to archaeological data, it is known that the inhabitants of Teotihuacán ate mainly corn, squash, nopal and maguey. It is then assumed that these were their main crops.

Other items were amaranth, beans (both vulgar and squash), pumpkin (up to four varieties), chili, quenopodiaceae (huauzontle and epazote), quelites, purslane, tomato, cactus (tuna and biznagas), tejocote and capulín.

There are also multiple evidences of irrigation canals located in the southern portion of the Teotihuacán valley.

Some evidence indicates seasonal crops (dependent only on rain), crop terraces and chinampas system (plots of land surrounded by channels with water). Likewise, there are signs of ditches to channel flood water and torrential runoff to irrigate crops.

It is also believed that they built a water box about 200 meters northwest of the Pyramid of the Moon. This perhaps received the waters of the stream that descends between the Coronillas and Gordo hills.

Economy

Mining activity

Teotihuacán underpinned its economic importance with its deposits of obsidian, a very important mineral, especially in the manufacture of tools.

The Teotihuacan culture exploited obsidian and commercialized it in neighboring communities.

Another factor of commercial development was clay in its mines. Basalt, tuff and adobe, necessary for ceramics and constructions, were part of its commercial flow.

They also traded with tin ore from mines located in the current state of Querétaro.

Other business activities

Teotihuacán artifacts and ceramics have been discovered elsewhere in Latin America, and a large number of cultural pieces from other groups have been found within the city of Teotihuacán.

Both facts lead to the conclusion that the Teotihuacan culture was actively involved with trade.

According to vestiges of different excavations, it is thought that the commercial relations of the Teotihuacan community were extensive. There is growing evidence that they reached the Maya lowlands, the Guatemalan highlands, northern Mexico, and the Gulf of Mexico coast.

On the other hand, the Teotihuacan settlers organized and perfected a caravan system that allowed them to buy and bring non-native fauna from the coast to the city.

Among all this fauna, there are multiple varieties of fish from the coastal lagoons and some species of crabs and crocodiles.

The mysterious disappearance of the city

Mysteriously, around 600 AD, the main buildings of Teotihuacán were deliberately destroyed by fire, and religious works of art and sculptures were crushed in what must have been a complete change of the ruling elite.

The destroyers may have been from the rising city of Xochicalco or from an uprising motivated by a scarcity of resources, perhaps increased by extensive deforestation (the wood was desperately needed to burn large amounts of lime for use in plaster and stucco).

The legacy of Teotihuacán

Aspects of Teotihuacán religion, monumental architecture, urban planning, and city art would influence contemporary and subsequent civilizations throughout Mesoamerica, including the Mayans and Aztecs.

Images such as the feathered serpent god and the representative war owl are just two examples of Teotihuacan iconography that became ubiquitous throughout Mesoamerica.

Articles of interest

Society of the Teotihuacanos.

Government of the Teotihuacanos.

Food of the Teotihuacanos.

Teotihuacan gods.

Main constructions of the Teotihuacanos.

References

Pre-Hispanic City of Teotihuacan. (sf). Recovered from whc.unesco.org.
Mark Cartwright. Zapotec Civilization. (2013). Recovered from ancient.eu.
Teotihuacán, Mexico City. (sf). Recovered from sacred-destinations.com.
Teotihuacan culture. (sf). Recovered from pueblosoriginario.com.
McCann, M. (s / f). Teotihuacan Culture. Taken from meta-religion.com.
Olvera, AM (2017, July 7). The Teotihuacan Civilization: Important Facts. Taken from inside-mexico.com.
New World Encyclopedia. (s / f). Teotihuacan. Taken from newworldencyclopedia.org.
Mexico Archeology. (s / f). Teotihuacan Pyramid of the Moon and Plaza. Taken from mexicoarcheology.com.
Hearn, K. (s / f). Teotihuacan. Taken from nationalgeographic.com.
Jiménez, M. (s / f). Teotihuacan. Taken from khanacademy.org.
Manzanilla Naim, LR (2017) Teotihuacan, an exceptional city in Mesoamerica. Mexico DF: National College.

TEOTIHUACAN CULTURE: CHARACTERISTICS, HISTORY, TRADITIONS - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025