!!!Teotihuacan

by Dmitry Moiseenko and
Stas Sedov,
members of the [AirPano Team|Geography/About/Consortium/AirPano,_Team] that is a member of the [global-geography Consortium|Geography/About/Consortium]. \\

14 October 2014

with kind permission of [AirPano|http://www.AirPano.com]

50 kilometers northeast of Mexico City lies Teotihuacan (Teotihuacán),
the ancient empire-city that used to be very large in size and then
decayed over time. Today the ruins are restored for the tourists.

People have inhabited this territory, which had primarily been an
agricultural area, since the 2nd millennium B. C. Modern scientists were
unable to establish an exact date of when Teotihuacan was constructed.
However, it is known that the mass migration of people from Cuicuilco,
another city located in the Valley of Mexico destroyed by a volcano
eruption, to Teotihuacan took place in the 2nd century A. D.

[{Image src='01_Pyramid of the Sun. Top view.jpg' caption='Pyramid of the Sun. Top view' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='547'}]

Teotihuacan was developed according to a strict plan: the streets were
positioned at a right angle in accordance to the main avenue; adobe
houses had only one story, a flat roof, and no windows. Facing a tiny
backyard, doors were the only source of fresh air and light. Researchers
suggest that during the period of prosperity the city occupied over 27
square kilometers and was home to no less than 125 thousand people.
Religion was the most important part of their lives, and so even the
poorest houses had home altars.

The art, mythology, and architecture of Teotihuacan were dedicated
entirely to the pantheon of Gods. The main deity was Quetzalcoatl, the
god with a snake body covered in birds feathers. The Temple of the
Feathered Serpent is one of the largest structures of the ancient city.
It is located on a central square that Spaniards called La Ciudadela
(the Citadel). The temple is built in the form of a pyramid and is
decorated with reliefs depicting snakes, dragons, demons, and a
fire-breathing head of Quetzalcoatl.

[{Image src='02_The north side of the Pyramid of the Sun.jpg' caption='The north side of the Pyramid of the Sun' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='450'}]

Sacrificial animals were buried inside of the Feathered Serpent Pyramid.
In the 1980s, scientists also found the remains of 137 people during an
excavation under and around the pyramid. It appears that these people
were also sacrificed: their hands were tied behind their backs... Also,
a few years ago archeologists found a walled tunnel, the purpose of
which remains unknown. One of the theories suggests that it was a place
for the most sacral rituals; another one suggests that it could have
been a burial ground for rulers and priests.

A 3.5-kilometer-long concrete road called "Avenue of The Dead" starts
from the Citadel and goes from south to north at a 30° angle. If you
look along the road from its starting point, the south side, the
elevation creates an illusion that the road goes right into the sky.
Along the Avenue of The Dead are many smaller temples. Perhaps, they
inspired the name of the avenue: according to one of the theories, the
Aztecs that arrived at Teotihuacan believed they were tombs.

[{Image src='03_Avenue of the Dead.jpg' caption='Avenue of the Dead' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='474'}]

The giant five-tier Pyramid of the Sun is located on the east side of
the avenue. It is 64 meters high; and the size of its foundation is 222
meters by 225 meters. The length of its foundation is only 3 percent
smaller than the famous Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. It is accustomed
in Mexico and Central America to build new temples on top of the ruins
of the old ones. And, so the Pyramid of the Sun was built on top of what
was left of the old structures until it reached its current size. The
main construction work was probably finished in the 1st century A. D.;
and the temple on the very top of the structure was created 300 years
later. 248 steps lead to the top, and numerous tourists climb up them to
reach the temple.

The Avenue of the Dead ends by the 42-meter-high Pyramid of the Moon.
Sitting on a small hill, it is visually as tall as the Pyramid of the
Sun. Atop the pyramid there is a platform that was used for ritual
ceremonies in honor of Chalchiuhtlicue, the Aztec goddess of water and
Moon. It is also accessible to the public; and there are numerous ritual
burial sites surrounding the pyramid, just like every other structure in
the city.

[{Image src='04_Pyramid of the Sun at sunset.jpg' caption='Pyramid of the Sun at sunset' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='507'}]

Despite the fact that the ancient Teotihuacan still surprises
archeologists with the new discoveries, there is not much known about
the city. Although separated by thousands of kilometers, this
architectural ensemble, created according to one master plan,
mysteriously resembles the ancient Egyptian complex of pyramids and
religious structures in Giza.

Due to unexplainable reasons, Teotihuacan was deserted in the middle of
the 7th century, which was the period of its maximum prosperity. The
Aztecs that came here much later found only the majestic ruins of the
city: it was destroyed almost to the ground, all tombs and volts with
ritual offerings were looted and sacred statues mutilated and broken.
Even the original name of Teotihuacan is lost to us: the Aztecs gave the
city its current name ("the City of Gods").

[{Image src='05_Moon Square.jpg' caption='Moon Square' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='442'}]

The only thing that is certain about Teotihuacan is that it is an
amazing and mysterious landmark of Mexico; and it has been added to the
UNESCO World Heritage list for a good reason. See it for yourself though
our panoramas!

\\ \\
[11 Panoramas of Teotihuacan|Geography/America/Mexico/Pictures/Panoramas_of_Teotihuacan]










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