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Teotiuhuacan: City of the Gods

© Kathy O'Halleran

(Photo: David Hixson) Teotiuhuacan was not the first city in ancient Mesoamerica, and yet it is said that virtually no archaeological approach has failed to be applied to the site. Why? The site, dated between 200-100 B.C., is located in Mexico's central region; the Valley of Mexico. Teotihuacan represents a significant transformational event for Mesoamerica; the shift from an egalitarian society to a state society; long considered by anthropologists as the cornerstone of complex civilization. It is from Teotiuhacan that other major cultures such as the Maya, Toltecs, and the magnificent Aztecs may have built their civilizations upon, either directly or indirectly. In fact. Aztecs who settled in the Valley of Mexico centuries after the collapse of Teotihuacan believed the city to be of paramount religious importance, and the ancient city's influence on the Aztecs is documented in Aztec ruins. The very name, "Teotihuacan" is of Aztec origin. According to Nahuatl scholar Thelma Sullivan, there are numerous interpretations, but the most commonly ascribed translation is, "The Place of Those Who Have the Road to the Gods."

(photo: David Hixson) Some of the most phenomenal architectural designs, however, were not repeated. Evidence suggests Teotihuacan appeared almost overnight, by anthropological standards. The phenomenon began in 200-100 B.C. By 600 A.D., Teotihuacan was the sixth largest city in Mesoamerica. It collapsed in 700 A.D., and the reason for its demise remains a mystery that is a target of considerable debate. At its height, Teotihuacan probably had a population of more than 125,000 people. The city covered eight square miles (20 square kilometers).

(Photo: David Hixson) According to researchers C.C. Lamberg Karlovsky and Jeremy A. Sabloff, in their work, "Ancient Civilizations of the Near East and Mesoamerica," Teotiuhacan had over two thousand apartment complexes, a great market, a large number of industrial workshops, an administrative center, a number of massive religious edifices, and a regular grid pattern of streets and buildings. Archaeologists believe the grid system the city was carefully laid out on was in place at Teotihuacan as early as 100-150 A.D. Studies so far indicate the grid system was not in use anywhere in Mesoamerica prior to Teotihuacan, or after its collapse. Quite naturally, questions abound. How did such a complex civilization originate and develop so suddenly? How did it prosper? How did Teotihuacan manage to support such a large civilization?

Here, one can see a courtyard and apartment complex just north of the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent.