Teotihuacan
Ancient Mexican ruins
Teotihuacan is an ancient Mesoamerican city located northeast of present-day Mexico City, notable for its massive pyramids and urban planning.
Built around 100 BCE and reaching its peak around 450 CE, it was one of the largest cities in the ancient world, with an estimated population of over 100,000.
The name, meaning "the place where the gods were created" in Nahuatl, was given by the Aztecs centuries after the city's mysterious decline.
Its Pyramid of the Sun and Pyramid of the Moon remain major archaeological sites.
Pre-Columbian Central American region
- pre-ColumbianAmericas before 1492
- metropolisLarge important city
- urbanismStudy of metropolitan areas
- empireDomain under unified control
agriculture · obsidian · society · indigenous · city-state · collapse · migration · multiculturalism
Aztec feathered serpent god
- sacrificeGiving up something precious
- ritualsCeremonial repeated practices
- ceremoniesFormal observances with ritual
- godsSupernatural beings worshipped
priesthood · altars · offerings · incense · burial · underworld · jaguar · cosmology
Glassy igneous rock
- jadeCarved ornamental mineral
- ceramicsHardened clay objects
- masksFace-covering disguises
- figurinesSmall ornamental sculptures
murals · featherwork · headdresses · blades · mirrors · greenstone · shell · pyrite
Act of unearthing
- artifactsHuman-made historical objects
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
- carbon-datingIsotope-based age measurement
- trenchesElongated ground excavations
dig · fieldwork · potsherds · surveying · anthropology · epigraphy · ceramics · looters
Apex-topped geometric solids
- plazasPublic open squares
- templesHoly places or head sides
- apartmentsRented dwelling units
- compoundsBonded element substances
stucco · platforms · staircases · tunnels · drainage · orientation · murals · frescoes
Cultural arm of UN
- tourismLeisure travel sector
- ruinsDecayed structural remains
- preservationMaintaining something's condition
- restorationReturning something to condition
Sudden structural failure
- abandonmentAct of leaving permanently
- fireCombustion with flames
- hieroglyphsAncient Egyptian picture-writing
- undecipheredNot yet interpreted
origins · rulers · destruction · enigma · secrets · theories · questions · speculation
Mesoamerica
Pre-Columbian Central American region
- pre-ColumbianAmericas before 1492
- metropolisLarge important city
- urbanismStudy of metropolitan areas
empire · agriculture · obsidian · society · indigenous · city-state · collapse · migration · multiculturalism · tributary
Quetzalcoatl
Aztec feathered serpent god
- sacrificeGiving up something precious
- ritualsCeremonial repeated practices
- ceremoniesFormal observances with ritual
gods · priesthood · altars · offerings · incense · burial · underworld · jaguar · cosmology · bloodletting
obsidian
Glassy igneous rock
figurines · murals · featherwork · headdresses · blades · mirrors · greenstone · shell · pyrite
excavation
Act of unearthing
- artifactsHuman-made historical objects
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
- carbon-datingIsotope-based age measurement
trenches · dig · fieldwork · potsherds · surveying · anthropology · epigraphy · ceramics · looters · mapping
pyramids
Apex-topped geometric solids
- plazasPublic open squares
- templesHoly places or head sides
- apartmentsRented dwelling units
compounds · stucco · platforms · staircases · tunnels · drainage · orientation · murals · frescoes · mica
UNESCO
Cultural arm of UN
- tourismLeisure travel sector
- ruinsDecayed structural remains
- preservationMaintaining something's condition
restoration · site · museum · visitors · landmark · monuments
collapse
Sudden structural failure
- abandonmentAct of leaving permanently
- fireCombustion with flames
- hieroglyphsAncient Egyptian picture-writing
undeciphered · origins · rulers · destruction · enigma · secrets · theories · questions · speculation
- ancient civilizationsAncient Egypt, Sumer, Ancient Greece, Aztecs, Egypt
- Latin AmericaArgentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Cuba
- Mexican HeritageAztec, Maya, Nahuatl, mariachi, tequila
- ancient ruinsStonehenge, Pompeii, Colosseum, coliseum, Machu Picchu
- ancient sitesPompeii, Stonehenge, pyramids, Colosseum, Giza
- heritage sitesWorld Heritage Site, historic landmarks, Machu Picchu, monument, cultural landmarks