The Pyramid of the Moon

Teotihuacan Pyramid of the Moon, Completed in 250 C.E., Mexico City, Mexico

Teotihuacan is believed to be the first large chief city of an abandoned civilization in the Americas. Despite the large remaining infrastructures of the city along and hieroglyphs that line the walls of some structures, we have little to no idea on the base information of the Teotihuacan people. Even what they originally called themselves is still a mystery to archaeologists. With a lack of evidence for what their structures were designed for, we can only speculate the importance and meaning behind certain structures. Artifacts surrounding the site as well as similar ones across Mexico lead researchers to believe that the Teotihuacan civilization was a powerful one that participated in trade with other cities.


While we do not know much about the Teotihuacan culture, we have learned a little bit about this abandoned city, more specifically, the Pyramid of the Moon. The Pyramid of the Moon lies in the Western part of the city, at the end of the main road (Commonly called the Avenue of the dead because the Aztecs believed the city was surrounded by tombs but, because this is not proven, I will refer to it as the main road) and stands a total of 141 feet tall. It is speculated that it could have been even taller with wooden support and structures at the top that has long since been destroyed. While it's true purpose to the historical narrative isn't concrete, excavations done on the base of the pyramid staircase give us insight into possible purposes of it. The excavation exposed a tomb of a man with goods such as greenware, obsidian, and sacrificial animals. While the Pyramid of the Sun on the south of the main road has repeatedly been called the "birthing place" of this culture, or the place of "emergence," the Pyramid of the Moon seems to have a different narrative, where sacrifices occur and important individuals are buried.




The name of the Pyramid itself gives an insight into its purpose, as for centuries other cultures have believed the moon to be the resting place of the dead, the night sky a final resting place for your loved ones. For example, in early Hindu practices, it was believed that souls went to the moon to await their rebirthing, following the moon cycle from death to rebirth (new moon to full moon). In another example, the Ancient Greek religious practice, it was believed that the moon was the home of the dead.




In the end, we do not know much about the Teotihuacan culture, or even what their true name was. However, we can speculate the meaning of the remains by making connections to other cultures in the area and across the globe.


Sources:

Department of the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. “Teotihuacan: Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/teot2/hd_teot2.htm (October 2001)


Dr. Maya Jiménez, "Teotihuacan," in Smarthistory, December 17, 2015, accessed November 18, 2020, https://smarthistory.org/teotihuacan-2/.

History.com Editors. “Teotihuacan.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, January 5, 2018. https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-americas/teotihuacan.