Pre-Hispanic Teotihuacan (Central America)
(500 BC to 750 AD)
What happened?
The development in the valley of Mexico was initially divided among many chieftains. Two cities developed into major regional centers: Teotihuacan and Cuicuilco. Around 100 BC power is very centered at Teotihuacan.
In the five centuries AD, the city was at its peak. Most monuments date from that time. The layout of the city was carefully planned, even the river that ran through the city was diverted to fit the diamond pattern. Artifacts from or influenced by Teotihuacan have been found as far as Honduras. Military structures are virtually absent, so her dominance was probably cultural, and less political.
All information comes from archaeological finds and chronicles of the Maya. Several neighborhoods in the city were inhabited by foreigners, mainly Zapotec and Maya. About 500 Teotihuacan was larger than Imperial Rome. The city had about 600 pyramids and a hundred palaces for priests and dignitaries. Its size in the Valley of Mexico, Puebla, Hidalgo, and Tlaxcala, created cultural mixes in other local cultures.
In the sixth century, the city was set on fire and destroyed. Residents fled and by 750 the city was deserted. Climate change and incursions from the north are probably the cause.
Teotihuacan Pottery Heads
± 200 to ± 700
Artisanal production, such as pottery and obsidian production, were very important to Teotihuacan. The city had sufficient water, good clay for the excellent and very widespread Teotihuacan pottery and obsidian. This helped with the flourishing of Teotihuacan. They had trade relations with the Maya area.
To learn more about this culture, where no written records were left, scientists analyzed more than 300 shards of pottery from within and near the city. They cleaned and ground up pottery shards, then scanned the resulting powder for any materials the unglazed ceramic might have absorbed. For example, alcohol-producing bacteria were found.
A cylindrical bowl with three sturdy legs and straight walls seems to have originated in Teotihuacan. Such tripods were made in a wide range of size, color, and surface treatment. They were widely distributed by trade or imitated by local potters.