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 .
video on Teotihuacan
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.
video on Teotihuacan
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 .
Teotihuacan temple
for the plumed serpant Quetzalcoatal (the dragon looking creature
is Quetzalcoatal) next to it is Tlaloc, god of
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.
A
mural called the Paradise of Tlaloc ( the water god ), one
of the first murals in Mexico . Teotihuacan
The city was a center of industry, home to many potters, jewelers and
craftsmen. Teotihuacan is known for producing a great number of obsidian artifacts. Unfortunately no ancient Teotihuacano non-ideographic
texts are known to exist (or known to have existed), but mentions of
the city in inscriptions from Maya cities show that Teotihuacan
nobility traveled to and perhaps conquered local rulers as far away as
Honduras. Maya inscriptions mention an individual nicknamed by scholars as "Spearthrower Owl", apparently ruler of Teotihuacan, who reigned for over 60 years and installed his relatives as rulers of Tikal and Uaxactun in Guatemala.
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.
video on the ZONA ARQUEOLÓGICA CHOLULA
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.
video on Xochicalco
El Tajin
Pyramid of the Niches
El Tajin as it appeared in its heyday
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.
video of the Pyramids of El Tajín
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.
Explores the ruins
of the ancient metropolis and ceremonial complex of Teotihuacan in the
valley of Mexico and explains what life was like for the people who
lived there
