TEOTIHUACAN ECONOMY: THE 4 PILLARS ON WHICH IT IS BASED - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The Teotihuacan economy is one of the greatest examples of economy worldwide. This city is known in history for its greatness and commerce. When speaking of pre-Hispanic cultures, one immediately goes back to cities with pyramids and rudimentary natives, but this is not the case in Teotihuacán.

Leaving aside its dress customs, knowing that the city was one of the largest settlements with more than 125,000 inhabitants, allows us to understand that its economy was a crucial aspect for its survival.

Pillars of the Teotihuacan economy

As in all civilizations, the economy was based on the exploitation of the natural resources of the area.

It is worth mentioning that, due to its location, Teotihuacán was a settlement rich in commercial and subsistence products, in addition to being close to bodies of water that allowed it an influx of stable commerce and a variety of products it offered.

The economic bases on which this civilization flourished were agriculture, hunting and animal husbandry, the exploitation of natural resources and trade.

1- Agriculture

The flourishing of the culture and its survival were mainly due to agriculture, since most of the food obtained was intended to meet the needs of all the inhabitants.

As mentioned earlier, the number rose to over 120,000, in addition to merchants and travelers visiting the barter market.

The amount of food provided by the harvests allowed even the poor sectors of society to survive. In addition to having enough to feed themselves and sell the rest, the Teotihuacanos also "exported" products to other civilizations with fewer agricultural resources.

One of the most characteristic features of this civilization is undoubtedly the use of "chinampas", barges covered with land that allowed them to plant even in swampy areas.

It is believed, with foundation, that this type of agricultural technique strongly influenced its economic development, since by taking advantage of the muddy areas or bodies of water, very abundant in the region, it was possible to harvest products that were difficult to harvest throughout the year. find in other areas.

2- Hunting and animal husbandry

To complete the diet, the Teotihuacanos hunted soft meat animals, such as deer, rabbit and birds. They also dedicated themselves to the domestication and breeding of animals, the most common was the turkey and the most expensive and exquisite was the xoloitzcuintle dog.

Food was not the only benefit of hunting or breeding, there was also the fur trade. These increased in value according to the treatments with which they were cured, which made the leather market have accessible products for all budgets. This was one of the advantages that favored the influx of commerce in the city.

3- Exploitation of natural resources

This culture is characterized by its close relationship with the work of obsidian, a very abundant and resistant mineral that allowed them to create weapons and carve sculptures, in addition to taking advantage of the clay of the soil, which allowed the creation of the lining of the pyramids and their later adornment with paintings characteristic of this area.

Although it may be believed that the creation of obsidian sculptures and utensils was not very important, the reality is that it was a cornerstone in cultures. The prevailing polytheistic religion allowed for a constant demand for gods and figurines, both for worship and rituals.

This had an invaluable impact on the economic development of Teotihuacán. The Teotihuacanos were the only "owners" of the obsidian monopoly, so any civilization, no matter how small or large, had to negotiate with them for the precious material.

Due to the law of supply and demand, this gave them immense power in negotiating the few products that they did not produce or exploit.

4- Trade

Being the largest commercial center of Mesoamerican cultures, Teotihuacán received vendors from far away places, such as the north of present-day Mexico or even Guatemala.

The number of exchanges that took place in a day in the market was comparable to that of civilizations that we know for their greatness and diversity, to mention one, Rome.

Many of the clay sculptures and obsidian pieces found in northern Mexico or South America are easily traceable to the civilization that inhabited Teotihuacán. This suggests the influence that their market and commerce had on the surrounding cultures.

For all the above, understanding how a culture that did not have the transportation and technology resources that exist today could have such a boom and bust, will allow us to know how the first markets, commercial institutions, currency and transactions originated.

Teotihuacán was a meeting place for commerce. With multicultural roots, many of the artisan families that inhabited it were originally from lands as far away as Guatemala, and it was also a central point of Mesoamerica through which most of the routes crossed.

At present, a prosperous economy has several factors that allow it to be sustainable, such as the easy obtaining and exploitation of natural resources, trade routes, diversity and export of products, as well as the demand for them. Teotihuacán had them all.

In addition to the above, it is worth mentioning its social structure, since part of its economy was due to the fact that it is believed that it was seriously influenced by the sorcerers who carried out the ceremonial rituals.

As a result of this, there were dowries or taxes that supported the upper social classes, which is a sign of considerable economic administration in a population of more than 120,000 inhabitants.

References

1. A Teotihuacan presence at chac II, Yucatan, Mexico: Implications for early political economy of the Puuc region, Smyth, Michael P; Rogart, Daniel. Ancient Mesoamerica; Cambridge15.1 (Jan 2004): 17-47. Recovered from ProQuest.com.
2. The Economics of Urbanization and State Formation at Teotihuacan Donald V. Kurtz, Thomas H. Charlton, James F. Hopgood, Stephen A. Kowalewski, Deborah L. Nichols, Robert S. Santley, Marc J. Swartz, and Bruce G. Trigger Recovered from Proquest.com.
3. Infrared Aerial Photography and Prehispanic Irrigation at Teotihuacán: The Tlajinga Canals. Deborah L. Nichols, Pages 17-27 - Published online: Jul 18, 2013. Retrieved from tandfonline.com.
4. Commercialization in early state economies: Craft production and market exchange in Classic period Teotihuacan by Sullivan, Kristin Susan, Ph.D., ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY, 2007, 336 pages; 3288017. Recovered from gradworks.umi.com.
5. The Social Organization of Craft Production and Interregional Exchange at Teotihuacan by David Carballo, (1980) 1st edition.