Teotihuacan

Teotihuacan is a unique archaeological site located in the San Juan Teotihuacan municipality in the State of Mexico, Mexico. The site is well known for hosting some of the largest pyramidal structures built in the pre-Columbian Americas as well as numbers of complexes called “Avenue of the Dead” and also several well-preserved murals.

Since 1987 the site has been listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site and now it is one of the most famous and visited attractions in Mexico and worldwide as well.

There is no information on what was the original name of the site was but in some hieroglyphic texts from the Maya region the Teotihuacan is mentioned as “Place of Reeds.
The current name of the site was given by the Nahuatl speaking Aztec.

Although the establishment and early development of the Teotihuacan is not really known, the archaeologists assumed that it was built by the Toltec.

Another assumption is that the site can be found by the Cuicuilo during their emigration into the Teotihuacan valley.

There is also a belief that the founders of the site were the Totonac people.

Between 150 and 450 CE, the city was in its heyday. At that time it was a very significant cultural centre within an area of more than 30 km² and population about 250,000.

According to archaeological evidence the Teotihuacan was a multi-ethnic city, dominated by Otomi, Zapotec, Mixtec, Maya and Nahua people.

In religious terms the city was close to those of other Mesoamerican cultures. Human sacrifice was one of their beliefs. Probably it was practised in the name of the prosperity of the city.
The Teotihuacan was a place hosting a great number of craftsmen, potters, jewellers as well as numerous obsidian artifacts and colourful murals.

Historians believe that sometime during the 7th or 8th centuries, the city was attacked and burnt by invaders.

Around the 6th century began reducing the number of people inhabiting the city. It is believed that this was caused by climate changes occurred in 535-536 CE.

Now the Teotihuacan is within an area of 83 km², including amazing architectural monuments such as the “Avenue of the Dead”, the Temple of the Feathered Serpent and also many smaller talud-tablero platforms.