Pyramid of the Sun, Teotihuacan (200 A.D.)

I. IDENTIFIERS

Artist/Attribution: Unknown (built by the citizens and collective labor of the Teotihuacan civilization)

Date: c. 200 A.D.

Medium: Volcanic rock (tezontle), clay, soil, and lime plaster

Location: Teotihuacan (San Juan Teotihuacán, State of Mexico, Mexico)

Culture/Period: Teotihuacan Culture / Classic Period (Early Classic Mesoamerica)

II. HISTORICAL CONTEXT

Around 200 A.D., the construction of the Pyramid of the Sun began which falls into the Early Classic period of Mesoamerica. Around this time, there were rapid demographic shifts due to volcanic eruptions of Popocatépetl and Xitle which forced thousands of refugees to go to Teotihuacan. The population was estimated to be around 60,000 people.  

Teotihuacan functioned under a collective governance model, which is shown by the absence of royal portraiture or of individual rulers. Instead,  the artwork focuses entirely on faceless priests, warriors, and gods. The people of Teotihuacan were an exceptionally advanced culture in civil engineering, mathematics, astronomy and urban planning. The city of Teotihuacan was built entirely on a geometric grid, and the layout of the city was aligned on astronomical observations by syncing the direction of the sunset on certain important celestial days of the Mesoamerican calendar. Their engineers rerouted the San Juan River to maintain the city’s perfect grid pattern, and instead forced the water to flow into artificial channels. Economically, they managed dozens of state-controlled workshops that produced obsidian weapons and surgical tools.

III. SUBJECT MATTER

The Pyramid of the Sun is a monumental pyramid standing at 65.5 meters (215 feet) tall. It is made of volcanic rock and currently has a gray color, although it should be noted that it originally was covered in smooth lime plaster and painted in white and red. In Mesoamerican cosmology, mountains were considered sacred living entities that housed water, wealth, and the spirits of ancestors. This pyramid was constructed to mimic the contours of Cerro Gordo, the massive extinct volcano behind it. By duplicating the natural landscape in stone, the pyramid functioned as an axis mundi (central cosmic pillar connecting the sky to the earth). 

The pyramid was constructed over a natural 295-foot-long subterranean lava-tube cave that ended in a chamber. In Central Mexican creation myths, caves represented the “womb of the Earth” from which humanity emerged. The Pyramid of the sun acts as a monumental shield over this portal.

IV. ABOUT THE CULTURE

Even though the Aztecs are most famed for the construction of the pyramid, it is factually incorrect. The Aztecs encountered the pyramids already in ruins. The Pyramid of the Sun was created around 700-900 years prior to their existence. Because of this, the Aztecs instead performed pilgrimages to Teotihuacan considering it the most sacred landscape on Earth. This city was viewed as the birthplace of the universe. Every twenty days, corresponding with the Aztec ritual month, priests would make journeys to the ruins in which they performed bloodletting rituals as sacrifices to appease the gods.

V. PERSONAL CONNECTION

As a Mexican, Teotihuacan is a site that was mentioned in our history textbooks every year at my school. I remember my teacher Sergio would talk about the importance of the site and how it is thousands of years old. Funnily enough, during a trip to Mexico City, my mom decided to take my brother and me to see the ruins. Upon arriving at Teotihuacan, I remember being impressed by the monumental size of these structures. Around that time, visitors were permitted to climb all the way up to the pyramids. It was tremendously intense to go up because the stairs that lead to the top are very narrow and tall. Multiple people fell while going up due to the difficulty. My mother and I went to the peak and when encountering the view of the entire archaeological site I felt at peace and ease. Some sites may be important to others because of their cultural and religious symbolism, but to me this site is important because of my experience visiting it.