Theory holds that this began the endorsement of a growing militaristic state. Not only was there now the requirement of human sacrifices in order to assure humanity's continued existence, but also there were the unparalleled ambitions of the Teotihuacan elite to expand its economic and political strength through the conquering of other cities villages and states. Millon terms it the "cult of sacred war and sacrifice," though it is more fondly termed "Star Wars." It began with the dedication the Temple of the Feathered Serpent. Archaeological evidence proves that at least 100 and perhaps as many as 200 of Teotihuacan's own soldiers were sacrificed in two ceremonies: one marking the initial phase of construction and a second mass sacrifice during a macabre temple dedication ceremony.
Ruben Cabrerra Castro, Professor of Anthropology at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, has been involved in extensive research on human sacrifice at Teotihuacan, as it relates to the core of power and its impact on the urban state. "Based on their associations and the positions of their hands placed together behind their backs, indicating they had been bound, these were clearly the remains of sacrificial victims." Exploration conducted in 1988 and 1989 revealed much more information and evidence of sacrificial victims who were both citizens (soldiers) of Teotihuacan and people believed to have been Teotihuacan and/or prisoners captured during warfare. Castro concludes that large-scale human sacrifice was practiced at Teotihuacan by a despotic state to insure its power. "This act is a means of social control through the manipulation of ideology and supernatural forces in which the sacred is used as an instrument of repression."
