Teotihuacan

1
Teotihuacan

• By Kyana Wilson

2
Location

• Basin of Mexico
• Approximately twenty five miles northeast of
  Mexico City.

3
Creation

• Scholars dispute the fact of which civilization,
  the Totonac or the Toltec, was the founded and
  builder of the Teotihuacan. There are
  civilizations that have influenced the style in
  which the stature was decorated and furnished,
  those arethe Maya, the Mixtec, the Zapotec, and
  of course the Olmec which are considered to be
  the mother of civilization

4
Culture ( Language Religion )

• Archaeological evidence suggests that Teotihuacan
  was a multi-ethnic city. The languages of the
  multiple civilizations began to blend. This
  blended language became that of the
  mesoamericans. Not only was their language
  blended, but the religion that they called their
  own deprived from their ancestors.

5
Culture cont. (Religion cont.)

• They worshiped a multitude of gods. Those of
  which hold many similar traits to the gods of the
  civilizations before them. Politics went hand in
  hand with religion. Politicians were religious
  leaders, just as religious leaders were
  politicians
• They practice human sacrifice. Scholars believe
  that the people offered human sacrifices as part
  of a dedication when buildings were expanded or
  constructed. The victims were enemy warriors
  captured in battle and the ritual sacrifice was
  preformed to ensure the city could prosper. Some
  men were decapitated, some had their hearts
  removed, others were killed by being hit several
  times over the head, and some were buried alive.
• Animals that were considered sacred and
  represented mythical powers were also buried
  alive, imprisoned in cages, some are cougars,
  wolves, eagles, falcons, owls, and even venomous
  snakes.

6
Archaeological site

• Huge ruins of Teotihuacan was never lost. From
  the ruins comes the knowlegde that during Aztec
  times, the city was a place of pilgrimage that
  identified with the myth of Tollan, the place
  where the sun was created.
• The Pyramid of the Sun was restored for Mexican
  Independence on 1910.
• Excvations have occured at Teotihuacan ever
  since the early ninteenth century. On 1971 a
  tunnel and cave syatem was discovered in the
  Pyramid of Sun. The tunnel was manmade, contray
  to what early scholars may have infered.

7
Threat of Development

• The archaeological park of Teotihuacan is under
  threat from developmental pressures. In 2004, the
  governor of Mexico state, gave permission for
  Wal-Mart to build a large store in the third
  archaeological zone of the park. Priceless
  artifacts were uncovered during store
  construction and were reportedly trucked off to a
  local dump, then the workers were fired when
  they revealed this little detail to the press.
  More recently, Teotihuacan has become the center
  of controversy over Resplandor Teotihuacano, a
  proposed massive light and sound spectacular,
  which, includes large metallic structures, 2,500
  lights and three kilometers of cables. The matter
  is still unreasolved.

8
Collapse

• Scholars had thought that sometime during the 7th
  or 8th centuries, invaders attacked the city,
  sacking and burning it. More recent evidence,
  however, seems to indicate that the burning was
  limited to the structures and dwellings
  associated primarily with the elite class.
• Evidence for population decline beginning around
  the 6th century lends some support to the
  internal hypothesis. The decline of Teotihucán
  has been correlated to lengthy droughts related
  to climate changes. This theory of ecological
  decline is supported by archaeological remains
  that show a rise in the percentage of juvenile
  skeletons with evidence of malnutrition.