Many things in Teotihuacan remain unexcavated leaving many unknowns even the origin of its

founders is debated. What is known about this early civilization is that Teotihuacan is in the Heart of
Mexico and was one of largest and most populated cities during its time. The original Pre- Colombian
name of this civilization is unknown, but Aztecs gave the city its current name Teotihuacan which
means birthplace of the gods. Teotihuacan was one of the most populated cities of its time, the
construction of the Pyramid of the Sun inside the city which is also the 3 rd largest pyramid in the world
is said to have required about 1,000,000 person hours to finish implying that there were thousands of
people working on the pyramid so it can be finished. A flat platform that was constructed on top of
the Pyramid of the Sun was believed to be used for rituals and it was intended to be seen throughout
the city signifying that the people living in this civilization were very religious. Teotihuacan housed
various multi-floor apartment complexes that were home to many potters, jewelers, craftsman and
others.
This large civilization no doubt had a big influence for all of Mesoamerica and maybe even more
locations but by the time Spanish invaders arrived in Central Mexico in 1521 Teotihuacan was not
active. The reason for the collapse of the city Teotihuacan is unknown. Dr. Cogwill believes that
some wealthy individuals may have become too powerful in the early civilization of Teotihuacan and
that there may have been too much competition with other societies, but it is unknown whether
collapse was caused by the city itself or by people from other societies. There is also some evidence
that, together, demonstrate and may suggest that some violence occurred and that the central part of
Teotihuacan was purposefully. Evidence found to suggest such violence are thick layers of ash that
are assumed to come from burnings from the city, smashing of images of gods, and partial
demolition of buildings in the central precinct. Although some people may speculate climate change
for being one of the reasons for cities end, climate change is not presumed to have played a major
role in the collapse of Teotihuacan because the largest drought occurred some 200 years after the
collapse of the early civilization Teotihuacan not during.
Early Civilizations: Teotihuacan Mexico (Links to an external site.)
1.Do you think that the collapse of Teotihuacan was caused the citys internal unrest or that is was
cause by outsiders and enemies of the city?
2.What do you think happened to the people from Teotihuacan after its collapse?