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Teotihuacan
Identifier
006691
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
Teotihuacan is an enormous archaeological site located in what is now the San Juan Teotihuacán municipality in the State of México, about 40 kilometres (25 mi) northeast of Mexico City. The site covers a total surface area of 83 km² and was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. It is one of the most visited archaeological sites in Mexico.
Teotihuacan contains some of the largest pyramidal structures built in the pre-Columbian Americas. The earliest buildings at Teotihuacan date to about 200 BCE, and the largest pyramid, the Pyramid of the Sun, was completed by 100 CE.
The Pyramid of the Sun is not only the largest building in Teotihuacán, it is also one of the largest in Mesoamerica. It is located along the Avenue of the Dead, in between the Pyramid of the Moon and the Ciudadela. It is 738 feet (225 meters) across and 246 feet (75 meters) high, making it the third largest pyramid in the world behind the Great Pyramid of Cholula and the Great Pyramid of Giza. It is stepped with a large number of levels. On the top is a platform. The structure was finished with lime plaster imported from surrounding areas, on which was painted brilliantly coloured murals. While the pyramid has endured for centuries, the paint and plaster have not and are no longer visible.
Teotihuacan itself was, at its zenith in the first half of the 1st millennium CE, the largest city in the pre-Columbian Americas. During its zenith it may have had more than 100,000 inhabitants placing it among the largest cities of the world in this period.
A description of the experience
