Knowra Teotihuacan Teotihuacan Teotihuacan was a major metropolis in central Mexico that flourished during the first millennium CE. Its monumental avenues, pyramids, and apartment compounds formed one of the largest urban centers in the ancient Americas.
Avenue of the Dead : Teotihuacan’s main north–south ceremonial avenue, lined with monumental platforms and plazas. This central axis connected major civic and religious complexes across the city.
Teotihuacan chronology : The archaeological sequence used to date Teotihuacan’s development, peak, and decline. It places the city’s monuments and population changes within the first millennium CE.
Teotihuacan elite : The social groups associated with Teotihuacan’s political, religious, and economic authority. Their power is inferred from monumental construction, elite residences, and ritual imagery.
Temple of the Feathered Serpent : A major Teotihuacan temple in the Ciudadela, decorated with sculpted serpent and feathered-serpent heads. Its burials and imagery provide evidence for state ritual and sacrifice.
Maya civilization : A Mesoamerican civilization composed of numerous city-states sharing related languages and cultural traditions. Unlike Teotihuacan, many Maya cities preserve named rulers and dynastic histories.
Pyramid of the Sun : A massive stepped monument at Teotihuacan, built over a cave and aligned with the city’s central avenue. Its scale anchors the city’s monumental core.
Cuicuilco : A major Preclassic city in the Valley of Mexico, partly buried by volcanic eruptions. Its decline preceded Teotihuacan’s rise as the region’s dominant urban center.
Teotihuacan artisans : Craft workers who produced ceramics, obsidian tools, murals, and other goods in Teotihuacan. Their specialized labor supported the city’s construction and long-distance exchange.
Teotihuacan mural painting : Wall paintings found in Teotihuacan’s temples and residential compounds, depicting deities, rituals, and natural imagery. Murals preserve visual evidence for the city’s religious and social worlds.
Aztec civilization : A Mesoamerican civilization centered on the Triple Alliance and its capital, Tenochtitlan, in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The Aztecs encountered Teotihuacan centuries later and interpreted its ruins through their own traditions.
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