Teotihuacan, Cholula, Xochicalco and El Tajin

Teotihuacan

Mexico in the Classic period ( 200 B.C. - 900 A.D.) there were three dominate cultures: Teotihuacan, Monte Albain and the Maya .The most important was the huge complex of Teotihuacan ' The place of the Gods ' as it was called by the Aztecs , who believed that it was built by a race of giants .It is located 30 miles from Mexico City .The city measured over 12 square miles, in the core of which was a ceremonial center occupying 2 square miles .The city was one of the largest in the world at the time, with a population estimated to be 200,000 and was held in awe by following cultures .At its height between 150 and 450 AD , Teotihuacan controlled an area from northern Mexico to Guatemala . For all their greatness, its rulers remain anonymous, nowhere have their portraits been discovered and no writtings have been found inscribed in their great city .Perhaps their written records were made on bark. Because of the lack of written records, the language and ethnic idenity of the Teotihuacans is unknown .

Avenue of the Dead

The early history of the people who built Teotihuacan is obscure, but by 200 B.C. they emerged as the main culture in the Valley of Mexico .Their carefully planned city was laid out on a grid scale .The main thoroughfare, the " Avenue of the Dead' was 150 feet wide and went through the heart of the city .The Aztecs believed they were tombs, inspiring the name of the avenue. Now they are known to be ceremonial platforms that were topped with temples.

Pyramid of the Sun

The most famous monument is the Pyramid of the Sun, which rises to a height of 215 feet .It was constructed around 150 A.D.It held a temple on top . A sacred cave has been located beneath the Pyramid of the Sun, which may have some relation to the Mesoamerican belief about the creaton of the world .The Pyramid of the Sun covers about the same area as the Great Pyramid in Egypt, but only half its height .

The population of the surrounding countryside, were probably coerced into living in the city . The common people lived in huge apartment complexes for 60 to 100 people with open, common courtyards .

The main god was Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent . The city God has been called the Great goddess, from whose yellow hands flowed streams of shells and jade , perhaps symbols of fertility and wealth By about 650 A.D. its powered weakened, possible due to agricultural or climatic reasons and the city was sacked by its enemies and was almost completely abandoned around 750 AD..The earliest buildings at Teotihuacan date to about 200 BC, and the largest pyramid, the Pyramid of the Sun, was completed by 100 AD.

Cholula

When Teotihuacan collapsed, three cities in central Mexico remained, these were Cholula,a holy city in the state of Puebla , Xochicalco in Morelos and El Tajin  in Veracruz . They were probably client states of Teotihuacan Cholula thus remained a regional center of importance, The center of Cholula was dominated by a huge pyramid, the largest in the world .It was dedicated to Quetzalcoatl . In total volume, it was greater than the Pyramid of Cheops .   Up to the time of the fall of the Aztec empire, Aztec princes were still formally anointed by a Cholulan priest in a manner reminiscent, and perhaps even analogous, to the way some Mayan princes appear to have come to Teotihuacan in search of some sort of formalization of their rulership.At the time of the arrival of Hern�n Cort�s Cholula was second only to the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan (modern Mexico City) as the largest city in central Mexico, possibly with a population of up to 100,000 people. In addition to the great temple of Quetzalcoatl and various palaces, the city had 365 temples.

Xochicalco

Xochicalco was first built around 200 B.C. and shows influences of Teotihuacan and the Maya .Unlike Teotihuacan, it was fortified with moats and parapets,   maybe due to Olmec attacks .Most of its notable architecture built between about 700 and 1000 AD. At its peak, the city may have had a population of up to 20,000 people.

El Tajin

Pyramid of the Niches

El Tajin had much influence on the Gulf coast, after the fall of Teotihuacan, it was the most powerful of the three large urban areas .The famous pyramid, seen above has a niche for each day of the year .Construction in El Tajin continued to about the start of the 13th century, at which time, according to tradition, the city was conquered and burned by Chichimec invaders.

ball court

The ball game, ollama, was extremely important to the meso-Americans of this region and all the major centers had one or more ball courts. The length of the court could vary, on a wall was a stone ring into one tried to knock a eight inch rubber ball through without using ones hands .Some games had religious significance, with the losing team being sacrificed.