 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
San Juan TeotihuacánHistory of the SiteTeotihuacán flourished between 100 B.C. and A.D. 700 and at it height, housed 100,000 or maybe even more people, up to 200,000. This was a real city, and it covered 9 to 12 square miles in the jungles 30 miles outside what is today Mexico City. It was a well-organized city and a bird's eye view of the city would show you that it was built on a grid system and incorporated streams, which the builders of the city channeled so as to keep the water in line with the grid system. The city was divided in to sectors, in whic various different class levels of society lived, separated from each other by occopuation. There was beautiful sculpture in the architecture of the city, and the ruling classes were highly sophisticated people. Around A.D. 700, Teotihuacán was abandoned, and nobody knows why such a complex, well-run society just disappeared for no obvious reason. A Place Where Gods Were BornTeotihuacán means "A Place Where Gods Were Born" and even today this spot is one of the most important places on earth, from an archaeological and anthropological point of view. Teotihuacán was the center of culture for hundreds of years. It's the beginning of life and the universe, according to Aztec beliefs, and great temples and palaces befitting such an important place were built on enourmous scale with beautiful details artistically placed everywhere, in honor of the gods. This great city was also a center of trade, and we can see Teotihuacán influence all over teh region, as far as the Yucat&aactue;n and Guatemala. There are theories about the end of Teotihuacán, when the city seems to have just ended its reign and lost its life. There was a volcano around A.D. 100 near the city of Cuicuilco. Cuicuilco was south of Mexico City, and after the Xitle volcano decimated this city, perhaps the residents fled to Teotihuacán. This might have led to overpopulation and eventually a slow whittling away of the natural resources of the area. Maybe Teotihuacán just couldn't handle so many people, and over the course of some hundreds of years if eventually collapsed under the weight of too many mouths to feed. The cult of the planet Venus is thought to have been very strong at Teotihuacán. Scientists have determined that the symbol of this planet appears often at Teotihuacán, and this cult was strong all over Mesoamerica, actually, so why not at Teotihuacán. The planet Venus determined when people fought wars and performed human sacrifices and ceremonial rituals were timed in accordance with the appearance of Venus in the sky. Some of the sacrificial alters are what remain today at the Teotihuacán site, as well as parts of three great pyramids and some homes. Teotihuacán contains paintings everywhere, especially on the grander homes of its citizens. The symbols and style have been copied by civilizations that came after the fall of Teotihuacán, and who inhabited the area. The Buildings at TeotihuacánThe main street down the city of ruins is called Avenue of the Dead (Calzada de los Muertos. It runs north-south, with important structures at either end. At the northern end of the main thoroughfare is the Pyramid of the Moon and at the southern end is the Ciudadela (Citadel). The Ciudadela was a sunken plaza in the city, and it was the place of the Feathered Serpent Pyramid and another temple as well. You can walk down the steps and over to the spot where the great temple once stood. There are tombs down in the pyramid site, as well as tunnels between the pyramid and the temple. Images of the feathered serpent are everywhere. Pyramid of the Sun, which lied on the east side the Avenue of the Dead, is the third-largest pyramid in the world. It's 730 feet at the base and 210 feet high. It was built on sacred caves, but no kings are buried here. It's now the largest restored pyramid in the Western hemisphere. Temple of the Moon is worth walking to because the view down Avenue of the Dead is really spectacular. Palace of Quetzalpapalotl or Palace of Quetzal-Mariposa began restoration in the 1960s. The restoration has revealed beautiful paintings and carvings of the Quetzal-Mariposa, which means bird-butterfly. Behind the palace is the Palace of the Jaguars, which also has paintings, but of Jaguars of course! TipsFrom Mexico City, expect the drive to last about an hour and a half. You can take a free highway or a toll highway, the latter being faster and the former much more picturesque. If you don't want to drive, you can hire a private care or taxi to take you. Arrangements are easy through your hotel front desk. It's usually by the hour, and expect to pay more for an English-speaking driver who can show you around. There are also buses that go every half hour, and it takes an hour. Admission to Teotihuacán costs $2.50 and the videocamera fee is $3. Sundays are free admission. The site is so big there's a trolley that takes visitors from the ticket booths at the entrance to main points in the site. There's a museum with a restaurant and a cultural center in here, too. Even with the trolley, expect to do lots of walking. Remember: this was a big, thriving city at one time! Bring water, a hat, and good shoes. The altitude is a factor as well as the sun and the heat. You're at 7,000 feet, so the air is thinner, making it more difficult to breathe for some people. |
•Mexico Ancient Ruins &Culture |
