TEOTIHUACAN RELIGION: DEITIES, RITUALS, SACRIFICES - HISTORY - 2025

The Teotihuacan religion was one of the cultural references of one of the largest and most influential cities in the New World. This was in the basin of Mexico and its society arose in the golden age of Mesoamerica, during the first millennium of the Christian Era.

The Teotihuacan civilization developed at the same time as the Mayan culture (250 AD 900 AD) and preceded the Toltec civilization. The elements of this civilization, architecture, art and religion, influenced all other Mesoamerican cultures.

Great Goddess of Teotihuacán

The deities of the Teotihuacan religion

The inhabitants of the city Teotihuacán practiced polytheism, which means that they believed in various gods. The most important deity of Teotihuacán was female: the Spider Woman of Teotihuacán, also known as the Great Goddess of Teotihuacán.

The fact that the Great Goddess of Teotihuacán is the most relevant deity of this society represents an unusual element, since a large part of the major deities of Mesoamerica were male.

The Spider Woman of Teotihuacán was worshiped as the creative deity; likewise, she was the goddess of the underworld, darkness, earth and water (in fact, it is because of her relationship with water that she is attributed the status of "creator"). This goddess was represented in murals and sculptures with a mask that resembles the mouth of a spider.

Other relevant gods for the Teotihuacan civilization are: the goddess of Water, also called Chalchiuhtlicue, who is represented with a three-meter statue, sculpted in stone; and the god Tlaloc, who represents rain and war.

These two gods are related by the fact that they were taken by the cultures that emerged after the Teotihuacan; Furthermore, both gods emphasize the importance of water, an element that is more than essential in the arid lands of Teotihuacán and which was the “giver of life”.

Likewise, Quetzalcoalt, the feathered serpent; Xipe Totec, the god of agriculture and corn; and the God of Fire, creator deity are deities worshiped by the Teotihuacán civilization and that were later taken over by the Aztecs.

Quetzalcoalt, the feathered serpent / Photo recovered from www.britishmuseum.org.uk

See main article: Teotihuacan Gods.

The calendar and rituals

The buildings align perfectly with astronomical events such as equinoxes, solstices, and eclipses. These events were considered sacred messages from the gods.

The position of the temples and pyramids built in Teotihuacán, which are aligned with the solstice sun (in June) and the Pleiades, suggests that the calendar dates had a certain relevance at the time of religious rituals.

Human sacrifices

The Teotihuacanos practiced human sacrifice. In the excavations of the constructions, human and animal remains have been found, which were offered in sacrifice.

Some scholars consider that these were sacrificed to demonstrate dedication and commitment when expanding or building a pyramid.

Also, it is considered that the victims were enemy warriors who were captured during battles and who were subjected to sacrificial rituals to ensure the prosperity of the city.

The methods applied varied from ritual to ritual: some men were beheaded, others had their hearts removed, some were beaten on the head, and finally some were buried alive.

With regard to animals, those that were sacred to the aborigines and those that represented mystical powers were buried alive or caged. Some of these animals were the wolf, the eagle, the hawk, the owl, the jaguar and some poisonous snakes.

You may be interested in knowing more about pre-Hispanic offerings.

Architecture and religion

Much of the architectural constructions had a religious character, since they were used to worship the gods.

The two main pyramids of the city were the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon, which represented monuments in honor of these stars. The temple of Quetzalcoalt also stands out.

View of the Avenue of the Dead, the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon / Photo retrieved from www.wikipedia.org.

The pyramid of the sun

The Pyramid of the Sun has five levels and was built over a sacred tunnel. In the upper part of this, formerly there was a small temple. Inside the pyramid, there is a 100-meter tunnel that leads to a burial chamber.

The pyramid of the Moon

This pyramid is similar to that of the Sun, however, it does not have interior chambers. Despite this, at the bases of the pyramid there are offerings for the gods, among which are obsidian stones and felines and eagles sculpted in green rocks.

Likewise, this construction is the resting place for human sacrifices, among which three noble Mayan men stand out. For its part, there are also the remains of sacrificed animals, such as pumas, rattlesnakes and raptors.

The temple of Quetzalcoalt

The Quetzalcoalt temple is decorated with sculptures of the feathered serpent and the god Tlaloc.

In this pyramid, rest more than 200 men and women who were sacrificed to celebrate that the work was completed. Also, inside this temple are obsidian knives and objects of a religious nature.

Religion center

Construction of the city of Teotihuacán is believed to have begun in 100 BC However, it was not until 250 AD that the main buildings in the city were completed.

It was at this same time that Teotihuacán was transformed into a religious center in the high areas of Mexico, thanks to the multiple buildings of a religious nature; in fact, the word “Teotihuacán” means in Aztec “the place of the gods”.

References

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2. Teotihuacan. Retrieved on April 27, 2017, from britannica.com.
3. Cartwright, Mark (2015). Teotihuacan. Retrieved on April 27, 2017, from ancient.eu.
4. Teotihuacan. Retrieved on April 27, 2017, from teotihuacanyear11ancienthistory.weebly.com.
5. History of Teotihuacan. Retrieved on April 27, 2017, from uncoveredhistory.com.
6. Teotihuacan. Retrieved on April 27, 2017, from ancient-code.com.
7. Teotihuacan. Retrieved on April 27, 2017, despirituality.knoji.com.
8. Teotihuacan. Retrieved on April 27, 2017, from quetzal.asu.edu.