Teotihuacan, City of the Gods

Post date: May 31, 2010 4:04:21 PM

I rolled into Teotihuacan around noon May 29^th. Paid a total of about $10 for parking and visitation rights. Immediately the Pyramid of the Sun shouts at your brain, and I felt such longing and admiration for the structure. One tour guide said they still do not know how they stacked its huge stones, much like the great pyramids of Egypt. My Mexico City host, upon my reflection after the visit, said that there are some similarities between the Teotihuacan pyramid designs and the Egyptian models. I am not sure what similarities those are, but it is curious to think that pyramids are found on opposite sides of the globe in relative temporal proximity.

Teotihuacan was called “City of the Gods.” It was a theocracy; it was governed by priests. What attracted the area’s people was its two major pyramids, Pyramid of the Sun and Pyramid of the Moon, are massive, terraced structures you can climb today. The steps are tall, and many people must stop periodically for rest as they climb. At the top is where they had temples where they performed religious rituals, including human sacrifices. At the corners of the pyramid are buried children, and it is believed these children were sacrificed. They did not believe that death was the end, but a transition to another life equal in ways to this one. Montezuma would come to the city every twenty days to sacrifice people. It was a city fascinated with death; their main avenue was called “Street of the Dead.” Lining it were priest homes. Commoners lay on the outskirts.

“Why here?” I wondered. I saw no water, just desert surrounded by mountains. The museum there answered immediately that the climate was wetter then. There were forests. A large lake is nearby, and a small river runs through the city. The teotihuacans also monopolized the obsidian quarries nearby, and this gave them great economical power. Why the temples? They were built in phases every 52 years. They were as starry-eyed people; they monitored the galaxies and timed everything to celestial movements. The whole city was planned beforehand, and the street of the dead and pyramids are all positioned according to stellar and polar directions. At first I thought the reason for them was to get them closer to the stars, but why wouldn’t they just climb the mountains for their rituals? There must be more reasons. Perhaps the temples were signs of their devotion; they undoubtedly required sweat, blood, and tears; sacrifice in homage to the gods in hopes for answered prayers. From atop the pyramids, one can see far. Perhaps atop this pillar of pride, with sight that extends for miles, one can better create policies to assist the community, better understand the best course of action, and feel “above” the arduous labor of daily living. A perfect place to reflect on the meaning of all that crawls beneath you. Perspective.

Today vendors line the streets, pawning obsidian and jade jewelry, obsidian sacrificial dagger replicas, bone Teotihuacan calendars, and instruments that when blown through sound like screeching eagles are roaring jaguars. The vendors are relentless.

I was touched by the sincerity and yearning this place exudes. These people wanted so badly to know “Truth” and to be shown “The Good Life” and to do “what is right.” They prayed for rain and good harvests, I am sure. Sacrifice seems odd to us, but to me it makes sense. They had little fear of death, and they felt that one must trade equally valuable items for the trade to be fair. To receive such insights, one must give up that which is most valuable, life. I wonder if the sacrificed were later honored. Or were they criminals? What about the children? Perhaps a child’s innocence makes his/her life more valuable than the average adult.

The city fell out of the Teotihuacans’ hands around 700-800 AD, but was later used somewhat by other cultures, including the Aztecs. The cause seems to have been due to internal conflicts and competition with other area cities. Even after its fall it was considered a holy place. I’d say that that reputation continues to this day.