Teotihuacan Research Paper

Starting the comparisons of Teotihuacan and Chaco Canyon, we can say that both being an important civilization centers in their respective region, with Teotihuacan being the major center in Mesoamerica, while the Chaco Canyon was the major center of the Ancestral Puebloan civilization. Another common factor were that they both shared the fact the sites were considered holy areas, which were considered important enough to warrant pilgrimages. Both had religious practices preformed in the centers with rituals in Teotihuacan being performed at the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent, while in the Chaco Canyon religious ceremonies were conducted at one of the 32 kivas located within the great houses. Then finally, both sites were later abandon by

During 750 AD in Central Mexico, The Toltec Empire emerged continuing the Mesoamerican heritage. Their culture was inspired by the empire before them, the Olmec’s. They were believed to be the people who migrated after the collapse of Teotihuacan. The significance of their existence is because it serves as the foundation of the Mesoamerican Civilization’s culture.

The Olmec and the Teotihuacan are from different time periods but they share similarities. One similarity is their views of cosmogonies. Richard Diehli author of The Olmecs: America's first civilization, explains the significance of caves in the Olmec cosmogony. Diehli

In the book Daily Life of The Aztecs On the Eve of the Spanish Conquest by Jacques Soustelle you are walked through what life was like for the Aztecs. You are in 16th Century Mexico, or to them Mexico-Tenochtilan. Soustelle does an excellent job immediately putting you in character with the introduction of the book. The book is broken down into seven different main chapters detailing major aspects of the Aztecs lives in the late 1500’s. You learn about where they lived, to the wars they fought, and what life was like for them from birth to death. In this paper I will further discuss four topics that were very crucial in the daily lives of the Aztecs. I will help you find a better understanding in their daily life as well as the many changes they migrated through over time. The four topics I will be discussing are: 1. Culture and Customs of the Aztecs 2. Civilization vs Barbarism 3. Art and Architecture 4. Education and Home Life.

Mesoamerica was once a place filled with growing, ruthless empires and civilizations, although not one was like the Aztecs and their empire. Although they started off with a humble beginning, they quickly grew into a great civilization that dominated present day Central Mexico. They conquered and expanded into an empire stronger than the other neighboring empires. The heart of the Aztec empire, Tenochtitlan, was a grand capital filled with many people and astounding temples. The Aztecs were also ahead of their time with fully-functional government and irrigation systems. They continue to astound many historians with their diverse way of life. They impacted the way of life for many people today with their customs and ways of life. Throughout the years, the Aztecs were able to grow and prosper with their sufficient supply of agriculture and blessed fertile lands of the Mexican Valley, and demonstrated to be an important part of Mexican heritage. Because of their history, unique culture, and beautiful architecture, the Aztec Civilization truly is one of Mesoamerica’s most influential early empires.

In 1521, the fall of Tenochtitlan proved to be an integral piece in the Spanish conquest of Mexico. After months of devastating warfare between the Aztecs and the Spanish as well as the infection of smallpox into the Aztec population, the Spanish conquered New Spain (Mexico) as their own, resulting in the Spanish occupation and rebuilding of Tenochtitlan. The reshaping of the city was an arduous and complex feat to say the least, as Hernan Cortés faced many challenges following the satisfying victory of the conquest. In order to determine these various challenges involved in post-conquest Mexico, one must assess the various feats Cortés struggled through as well as Carlos I’s attempts to deal with the chaos in Mexico. The most decisive endeavours that the Spaniards faced included: fixing a city of ruins, incorporating the indigenous peoples into society, and creating a Christian basis throughout the land. Thus, post-conquest Mexico faced a magnitude of challenges based on the socio-political, religious, and economic values necessary to conceive their perfect image

The Aztec civilization during its peak was the strongest civilization in the western hemisphere. When the Spaniards first set foot in the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan, they could not believe that a civilization so primitive in their minds could have been so culturally developed and powerful. However, before making it to Tenochtitlan, they had discovered that all was not well in the Aztec empire. From many native Indians that had tension with the Aztecs, they learned of internal and pre-existing problems that existed. This investigation examines to what extent where those internal and pre-existing factors to blame for the downfall of the Aztec Empire. The investigation was undertaken using some of the only primary

While certain symbols and figures maintained the significance and meanings despite the passage of time, art styles utilized by the different Mesoamerican civilizations evolved with the passage of time. Having a unified system in which each of the figures possessed the same meanings and importance for each civilization, allowed for the emergence of an art style that could be easily understood and utilized by most. Before the Postclassical International system, there was not a unified art style used through Mesoamerica; this system was an expression of the unification among the dominant religious and political views at the time after the fall of Teotihuacan and before the rise of Tula (Kubler “Ecleticism” 172). Developing a unique, yet universal style was enabled by the similarities in the ideologies of the different Mesoamerican civilizations. Through repeated interaction, the symbols and styles merged. In order to create a system different cultures could understand and identify, the meaning attributed to each of the symbols had to be somewhat similar throughout the different regions. The merger could not have occurred if the symbolized used by the different population did not resemble each other. Due to their similarity, with repeated interaction the

In the Basin of Mexico about 7,000 ft above sea level lies the ruins of the ancient city of Teotihuacan, “the place of the gods,” which flourished from 100-650 A.D. Little is known about this city’s mysterious demise of power, besides evidence of what appears to be ritualized burnings at major temples and centers. The impact of Teotihuacan throughout Mesoamerica is evident, and the most obvious indicator of this influence is through artistic style. Just how far was the expansion of Teotihuacan’s artistic influence across Mesoamerica? I will use a variety of sources not only to define the Teotihuacano art style as a whole, but also to map the path of its successful impact, (and also resistance,) across subsequent Mesoamerican civilizations, focusing principally on the Maya.

Teotihuacan was once a thriving city and ceremonial center that dates back past the Aztecs about several centuries ago. Teotihuacan is one of the largest and most complex archaeological sites in pre-Hispanic Mexico. The main structures include the Pyramid of the Sun, The Pyramid of the Moon, and the Temple of Quetzalcoatl. This site has attracted thousands of tourists and continues to do so, you may even be one of the next visitors to see this site.

Located in a valley in central Mexico, lies one of the world’s most spectacular archaeological sites named Teotihuacan. Teotihuacan is the largest ancient city in the new world. This ancient city is said to have begun around 200 B.C. It is enormous covering about eight square miles. The city is organized in a grid style focused around three main monuments. Around these structures were homes for the mass population that lived there. These homes were laid out in a grid like fashion that could be compared to an apartment complex. The grid system for its time was a complex organized system, this showed the social control Teotihuacan had.

At this time Teotihuacan grew from a tiny town to a huge and impactive city. The citys archaeological evidence suggests that the city was a religious center dedicated to the Great Mother Goddess and her companion the plumed serpent or Kukulkan. This God and Godess was very popular with the Mayans. Teotihaucan however was abandoned around 900

Often when studying history we encounter a paradigm of thinking that explicitly emphasizes the importance of written history above all else. In art history however, we are struck with the issue of navigating this paradigm in a field of study that sometimes only has visual culture for us to reference. Because of this, it often becomes a challenge to incorporate this visual evidence with a written record, whether it be another culture’s record or a written record that isn’t inherently “written”. And when it comes to examining the visual culture of Post-Classic Mexico, both of these are the case. With Mixtec and Aztec codices made entirely of pictographs and glyphs, we are forced to consider colonial hybrid documents in addition to these glyphs

I believe that the Legend of the Foundation of Tenochtitlan reveals about the culture that created it, is that the people highly believed in the gods they worshipped. These people didn’t hesitate on the orders given the by the god, Huitzilopochtli, they had complete trust on him. Also, they were very dedicated people and had amazing will power. After many years of traveling and not finding anything, they continued to keep searching and giving up didn’t seem like an option to them. Once they did find the eagle on the cactus eating the snake, in minimal time they were able to build the empire that controlled most of Mesoamerica.

Saburo Sugiyama, writes in detail about the possible meaning of the layout and architecture of the city of Teotihuacan. Furthermore, explains that the figures on the temple of Quetzalcoatl appear to be wearing a headdress, to represent the culture of the builders. As well, indicates that there is a possible relationship between the Feathered-Serpent and the planet Venus, therefore, indicating that the temple of Quetzalcoatl is a symbol for Venus. Additionally, adds information on excavations, and points out how the 200 buried individuals were found and the hypothesis as to why they were found in the surrounding and beneath the temple. This source was very informative regarding the representation of the excavation findings and the meaning behind