Teotihuacan'''Teotihuacan''' is the largest Pre-Columbian archeological site in the Americas. Teotihuacan is located in San Juan Teotihuacán municipality, in the Mexico (state)|State of México, Mexico, approximately 40 km (about 25 miles) northeast of the Mexico City, which covers a total surface area of 82.66 km² and, in the year 2000 census, reported a population of 44,653. ==Archaeological site== Image:Mexico.Mex.Teotihuacan.PyramidMoon.01.jpg|thumb|right|360px|The Pyramid of the Moon ''Teotihuacan'' is a Nahuatl name, meaning ''Place where there is god-becoming''. According to legend this was where the Gods gathered to plan the creation of man. The name ''Teotihuacan'' is also used to refer to the civilization this city dominated, which at its greatest extent included most of Mesoamerica. It is not known who these people were, but there is archaelogical evidence of having been a multi-ethnic place, with distinct Zapotec, Mixtec, Maya civilization|Maya and what seems to be Nahua quarters, for example. The Totonacs have always maintained that they were the ones who built it, a story that was corroborated later by the Aztecs. The city was also anciently referred to as ''Tollan'', a name also used centuries later for the Toltec capital of Tula, Mexico|Tula (''Tollan Xicocotitlan'' in Nahuatl). Construction of Teotihuacan commenced around 300 BC, with the Pyramid of the Sun built by 150 BC. The city reached its zenith approx. 150–450 AD, when it was the centre of an influential culture. At its height the city covered over 30km² (over 20 square miles), and probably housed a population of over 150,000 people, possibly as many as 200,000. Teotihuacan was an important source of Obsidian use in Mesoamerica|obsidian and there was intensive trade with other regions of Mesoamerica. Image:Mexico0047.jpg|thumb|right|360px|View of Avenue of the Dead from Pyramid of the Moon The city's broad central avenue, called "Avenue of the Dead" (a translation from its Nahuatl name ''Micaohtli''), is still flanked by impressive ceremonial architecture, including the immense '''Pyramid of the Sun''' and '''Pyramid of the Moon''', the '''Temple of Quetzalcoatl''', and many lesser temples and palaces. Unfortunately no ancient Teotihuacano texts are known to exist, but the city is occasionally referred to in the texts of Maya monuments, showing that Teotihuacan nobility traveled to and married with the families of local rulers as far away as Honduras. Maya hieroglyphs mention Spearthrower Owl, apparently Emperor of Teotihuacan, who reigned for over 60 years and imposed his relatives as kings of Tikal and Uaxactun in Guatemala. The city was sacked and burned, possibly by the invading Toltecs, sometime during the 7th or 8th centuries. Knowledge of the ruins of this huge city was never lost. The ruined city was a place of pilgrimage in Aztec times; it astonished visiting conquistadores; and it has been one of the most noted attractions for visitors to Mexico since the 19th century. Minor archeological excavations were conducted in the 19th century, and in 1905 major projects of excavation and restoration began under archeologist Leopoldo Batres, with the Pyramid of the Sun restored to celebrate the centennial of Mexican Independence in 1910. Teotihuacan remains a major tourist destination; it now contains a museum, and archeological excavations at the site are ongoing. Image:Pyramid_of_the_Sun_(Teotihuacan,_Mexico).jpg|thumb|right|360px|Pyramid of the Sun ==See also== * Teotihuacan Spider Woman – a deity shown in Teotihuacan murals ==External links== * [http://studentweb.tulane.edu/~dhixson/teo/teo.html MesoAmerican Photo Archives: Teotihuacan] Category:Ancient peoples Category:Cities in México State Category:Pre-Hispanic Mesoamerica Category:Ruins Category:World Heritage Sites in Mexico da:Teotihuacán de:Teotihuacán es:Teotihuacán fr:Teotihuacán id:Teotihuacan ms:Teotihuacan nl:Teotihuacan ja:テオティワカン pl:Teotihuacan ru:Теотихуакан sv:Teotihuacán First page | Prev | Next | Last page |

This article on Teotihuacan is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Teotihuacan".

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