The Architectural Technology of the Unknown People

Mesoamerican Three Part Special on pre-Aztec Teotihuacan

The Architectural Technology of the Unknown People

What type of tools does it take to build a monumental structure? What kind of man power was required to make these projects happen? Who trained the artisans to create stucco masks and paint the structures in vibrant colors?

These are the mysteries that a lot of people face. Not all the answers are known either. Most of the time we are left to speculate the great achievements left behind by the Ancients and marvel their glorious monuments.

The Great Pyramids of Teotihuacan – The Three Great Public Structures

Pyramid of the Sun

The main pyramid, the Pyramid of the Sun, is made up of remains of earlier pyramids equally as large as the final version. The Pyramid of the Sun is one of the largest New World structures. Raised in stages during the Tzacualli phase at the close of the pre-Classic period. Its fill is made up of 41 million cubic feet of sundried brick and rubble. An underneath passageway was discovered in 1971, its 20ft under the center of the pyramid and starts near the beginning of the staircase and continues to the east for 300ft, ending at a multiple-chamber room.

Pyramid of the Moon

The moon pyramid was slightly smaller than the sun pyramid and was built during the next phase, Miccaotli, at the begging of the classic period. The shape of the pyramid echoes the form of the major mountain of the north, Cerro Gordo, believed to be a female deity.

Temple of Quetzalcoatl

The last of the monumental structures built at Teotihuacan and a considerably smaller size than the Pyramids of the Sun and Moon. The structure is a seven-tiered step-pyramid with talud-tablero facades, located directly at the heart of the city.

Pyramid of the Sun



Pyramid of the Moon



Temple of Quetzalcoatl

Teotihuacan influenced many cultures in Mesoamerica. The surrounding areas are heavily influenced by their styles in art and architecture and traces of this extend all the way into Maya territory. It is possible that at least one of the first Maya rulers came from Teotihuacan (Gowing 2007).

Teotihuacan is recorded in ancient Maya hieroglyphs as Tollan. Tollan was the central city in Mesoamerica recorded in the royal histories of the Toltec, the Aztec, the Maya, and other Mesoamerican societies. Teotihuacan held power over many Maya sites during the Early Classic Period. Though the ethnic identity of the inhabitants of Teotihuacan is unknown, it is certain that the rulers of this land existed long before the traditional Aztec images produced in our minds at Teotihuacan. The political structure and power over the land is what allowed these monumental structures come to life.

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Works Cited.
Benson, Elizabeth P. (2007). Pre-Columbian Art. In Sir Lawrence Gowing, (Ed.). Facts on File and Encyclopedia Art (2^nd ed., Vol. 3, pp. 475). New York, NY: Facts on File, Inc.

Coe, Michael D. and Rex Koontz. (2008) Mexico: from  the Olmecs to the Aztecs. 6th Ed. New York:  Thames and Hudson.

Palka, Joel W. (2010). The A to Z of Ancient Mesoamerica. Plymouth, United Kingdom: The Scarecrow Press, Inc.