City In Mexico » Avenue of the dead

Visiting Teotihuacan, Mexico, part 3

admin — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 05:27:12 +0000

Continuing your tour of Teotihuacan, you will have the opportunity once more to enjoy in the view of the Avenue of the Dead and eventually you will come to the Pyramid of the Moon. It is located at the far north end of the Avenue of the Dead. At this point I have to give you some information about the history of Teotihuacan. It was abandoned around the year 800, and this year is considered to be the end of the Mesoamerica’s Classic period. Till nowadays, the reason for the fall is not known, but there are some presumptions that there was a prolonged drought or an epidemic. Other claim that there was a conflict with another group or an internal conflict: some of the buildings show evidence of destruction by fire, as opposed to merely being abandoned, like many of the Mayan archaeological sites.
Now, after you have learned something you can enjoy in the Pyramid of the Moon. The Pyramid of the Moon, at the northern end of the Street of the Dead, was probably completed around 250 A.D. Recent excavations near the base of the pyramid staircase have uncovered the tomb of a male skeleton with numerous grave goods of obsidian and greenstone, as well as sacrificial animals. One of the most significant tombs yet discovered at Teotihuacan, it might indicate that even more important tombs lie buried at the heart of the pyramid. It is the second largest structure in the city, the Pyramid of the Moon rises to 140 feet (43 metres) and measures 426 by 511 feet (130 by 156 metres) at its base. This pyramid is very similar to that of the Sun, but with an additional platform-temple jutting out on the south. This exhibits the talud-tablero architectural motif that is typical of Teotihuacán culture: on each body or tier of a stepped pyramid is a rectangular frontal panel (tablero) supported by a sloping batter (talud). The tablero is surrounded by a kind of projecting frame, and the recessed portion of the panel usually bears a polychrome mural applied to the stuccoed surface. The best way to finish your tour is to enjoy in the view from the top of the Pyramid of the Moon. I hope that I have helped you and intrigued you, and that you will visit Teotihuacan to see all this yourself.

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Exploring the Mexico City area, Teotihuacan, Part 2

admin — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 20:23:25 +0000

Next stop on your tour is the Avenue of the Dead. It is the main axis of the city. It stretches to the north from the Citadel all the way to the Temple of the Moon. You will see the “Edificios Superpuestos”, where excavations have unearthed living quarters below the present level, which were filled in with rubble in order to build the second stage. On either side of the Avenue of the Dead are residential palace compounds (probably occupied by noble families). Each is a square, 200 feet on a side, and is surrounded by a wall. The pedestrian would have seen only the high walls facing the streets, pierced by inconspicuous doors.
Then we come to the famous Pyramid of the Sun. It is one of ancient Mexico’s largest structures, with nearly 200 feet of heights and 700 feet wide. It was constructed in two phases. The first construction stage, around 100 A.D., brought the pyramid to nearly the size it is today. The second round of construction resulted in its completed size, making it the third largest pyramid in the world behind the Great Pyramid of Cholula and The Great Pyramid. The Pyramid was built on top of a cave which was discovered in 1970. This cave is over 100 yards long and ends in the shape of a four-leaf clover, with four chambers. According to many beliefs, in ancient Mexico, the caves actually were passageways to the underworld. If you can plan your visit to Teotihuacan, try to come there on the days of the fall and spring equinox. Then Teotihuacan is crowded with people who are dressed in white and climb to the top of the Pyramid of the Sun. On the top they are receiving the special energy of the site. If 250 stairs is not much for you, you should definitely climb up and at least enjoy in the magnificent view.
When you get enough of the Pyramid of the Sun, move on to the Quetzalpapalotl Palace. It is situated on the way to the Pyramid of the Moon. It is assumed that this was the residence of Teotihuacan’s ruler. Next you will see the Patio of the Quetzalpapalotl Palace. The name Quetzalpapalotl is Nahuatl for the “Quetzal butterfly” and it was applied to this building because of carved images like this one which appear on the columns surrounding the courtyard shown above. Some of these images are thought to represent the quetzal bird, which was revered by pre-European peoples living throughout Central America. Some of the images show a creature which is a combination of the quetzal and a butterfly, hence the name. The pillars that surround it are made of stone blocks carved with images of birds. Some of them are shown in profile and others are facing forward. Going on you will come to the Patio of the Jaguars. It is placed behind the Quetzalpapalotl Palace and it is a rectangular patio surrounded by rooms with jaguar murals. The jaguars that are pictured here are holding conch shells in their mouths. The figure in the five-pointed stars above the jaguars is the rain and maize god Tlaloc, probably the most powerful god in ancient central America. From this palace you can enter the subterranean Temple of the Plumed Conch Shells which has murals of shells, perhaps outfitted as musical instruments, together with birds spouting water, painted in green, blue, yellow and red.

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Teotihuacan – Temple of Quetzalcoatl

admin — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:31:05 +0000

If you have time for a day trip and if you are ready to leave the Mexico City, go 25 miles northward and visit Teotihuacan. To most of the tourists this name does not say much, but I am sure that you have all heard of Temple of Quetzalcoatl, walk along the Avenue of the Dead, and climb the Pyramid of the Sun and Pyramid of the Moon. These world wide known attractions are all situated at the already mentioned archaeological site, Teotihuacan. Also known as the ˝city of the gods˝ from 200 BC up to 800 AD was a huge urban center with a population of 200,000, making Teotihuacan one of the largest cities in the world. To the Aztecs Teotihuacan is a sacred site despite the fact that it had been abandoned long before their time. The interesting thing is that no one was able to discover which ethnic group or the language was spoken by the inhabitants of Teotihuacan, so they are called “Teotihuacanos.” Except from the pyramids that are dedicated to the sun and the moon, you can see beautiful murals and carvings as well as few museums where you can explore the city’s amazing history. If you decide to visit this fascinating archaeological site, do not forget to take water, hat and sunscreen and if you are time-limited our advice is to skip the first entrance and start from the second where actually many tour groups begin.

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