In eighth century AD, either through outside attack or out and out inner rebellion, the government was obviously overthrown. The Ciudadela, the heart of the Teotihuacan state, was destroyed. Millon's evidence reveals a fiery destruction of both religious and political icons. "The center was not simply consumed in a spreading fire," he writes. "Temples and public buildings were not merely destroyed-they were cast down, dismantled, burned, reduced to rubble, again and again and again, on both sides of the avenue (Street of the Dead) for more than a mile.... Those who started this process wanted to be certain that no powerful Teotihuacan State ever again would rise from these ruins."
Due to the deities honored by Teotihuacan, one could imagine that the rebellion was religious, as well as political For example, desecration of forests for wood needed to burn the lime necessary for more and more monument building construction ordered by the elite damaged soils and decreased agricultural production. Perhaps "The Great Goddess" sought revenge. Perhaps the bloody human sacrifices at The Temple of the Feathered Serpent repulsed the pacifist nature of Quetzalcoatl, believed by Teotihuacanos to be housed there. Was destruction of the temple necessary to "set his spirit" free and to mark the people's opposition to the blasphemies that had occurred in this deity's name? Given the deeply entrenched religious nature of Teotihuacan, such imaginings are not outside the realm of possibility.
Teotihuacan was abandoned for at least fifty years following the attack. According to archaeological research, it never recuperated. The character of the attack was such that it seemed clear by both the sweeping temple and palatial desecration and destruction that only the masses could have been so angered and responded so purposefully, systematically and swiftly. Still, arguments remain hypothetical. There is simply no hard data available to conclude what in fact prompted the destruction of Teotihuacan.
In Ancient Civilizations: The Near East and Mesoamerica, authors C.C. Lamberg-Karlovsky and Jeremy Sabloff concede that while inner rebellion may have been the cause, outside factors were present as well. Militaristic semi-nomadic tribes may have successfully invaded Teotihuacan, after it became weakened by factors such as a diminished population, a food shortage, and a period of economic decline and political factionalism. Or perhaps it was due to a combination of outside attack and inside rebellion.
Regardless, researchers are hoping that data uncovered this decade will help answer some of these questions. A major problem hampering the collection of fact is of course, the lack of any written records at Teotihuacan. Researchers are completely dependent on hard core site excavations and the accurate translations of later writings (few and far between) by subsequent powers such as the Aztecs.
