Teotihuacan Culture Characteristics, information and history

The Teotihuacan culture, It is one of the most mysterious cultures in history, and today we want to tell you about it. Because it is one of the main civilizations found in Mexico, his legacy is super important to the history of America.

This culture had its beginning towards the year 300 BC (Although there are no sources that give an exact reason for this information, most of the data about this culture is based on the investigations of historians) and it was located northeast of the Valley of Mexico.

It was one of the main pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures. The name Teotihuacan was assigned by later Mesoamerican cultures, who upon finding this impressive city decided to give it that name which means "The city of the Gods".

Due to the abundant natural resources that were in the area where it was established, the good commercial exchange it had, and its excellent geographical location, the Teotihuacan culture it spread easily, and its main city; Teotihuacán, became one of the most populated, reaching up to 250,000 inhabitants.

This fascinating culture was quite influential in topics such as politics, art, architecture and economy in Mesoamerica.

Characteristics of the Teotihuacan culture

In view of the Teotihuacan culture It is one of the most enigmatic, the characteristics of its culture and its population are based mainly on the remains that have been found in its main city, Teotihuacán..

Here we show you the main characteristics of the Teotihuacan culture:

• They had a theocratic government, It means that at the top of the pyramid were the priests, who had power, and in turn shared this power with the military chiefs.

In the second hierarchical level followed the nobles, it was believed that the nobility was chosen by the gods.

At the last level were the officials, and the rest of the people such as artisans, farmers, etc..

• Religion was one of its main elements, since the whole culture revolved around this.

They had numerous temples to carry out their rituals, especially humans, although they also performed animal sacrifices, such as owls, snakes, pumas and eagles..

• His religion was polytheistic, which means that they believed in the existence of various gods.

The Teotihuacan culture paid tribute to the god of rain and sowing identified as Tlaloc, to the god of heaven and earth called Tezcatiploca, among others.

• They were experts in architecture and construction, most of the buildings built by this culture were related to the eclipses, equinoxes and solstices.

Among its most famous constructions are the Temple to Quetzacóatl and the Pyramids of the sun and the moon.

Also in its architecture stood out its system of squares and villages, streets and drains.

• The economy was based on agriculture, since the Teotihuacanos had the virtue of making large crops. Its main agricultural products were corn, amaranth, tomato, peppers, cereals, and beans. For this they had advanced irrigation systems and terraces.

Likewise, the production of obsidian and clay predominated, which were used to generate commercial exchanges with other peoples and for the elaboration of handicraft products..

• They used painting as a means of expression, and to decorate the great buildings built in the city.

They had a too complex language, which until today has been impossible to decipher, however its writing was based on symbols. In this they are similar to other Mesoamerican cultures.

• They were very advanced in the subject of astronomy, for this they had numerous buildings from which they could study the sky.

Location of the Teotihuacan culture

Teotihuacán was the first great city of the Americas, and was built in the Valley of Teotihuacán, located between the valleys of Mexico and Puebla; epicenter of the Mexican Altiplano.

During the Formative, it constituted a small territory, which underwent an accelerated growth process which led to it occupying an area of ​​almost 22.5 kilometers and a population of approximately 150,000 inhabitants..

Teotihuacán quickly became an important commercial center, due to its geographical location which facilitated the exchange of numerous products with other peoples.

The Teotihuacán Valley is located just 45 kilometers away from Mexico City. The area is bordered by the volcanic hills Gordo and Chiconautla.

From that place, and to the southern United States, the Teotihuacan culture extended its dominion.

Currently the pre-Hispanic city of Teotihuacán includes the areas of San Martín de las Pirámides and Teotihuacán, which belong to the State of Mexico, and was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in the year 1987.

Contributions of the Teotihuacan culture

Among the main contributions of the Teotihuacan culture to society, the following stand out:

The invention of the ball game

These were the foundations of what we know today as basketball or basketball, this because the objective of this game was to insert a ball into a hoop that was located on a wall.

They called it Tlachtli, and they played it between two teams made up of seven players on each team, who were located in the central part of a court and threw the ball, but could not touch it with their hands, or with their feet, or with the head, only with the hips, back or shoulders to insert it into the hoop.

The use of cotton to make clothing

The inhabitants of the Teotihuacan culture were skilled in the art of weaving, for this they used the cotton fiber, rabbit hair, and some other fibers that were extracted from agave.

With them they made different suits, headdresses and capes.

The architecture

The Teotihuacans were the first to use masonry pillars in their structures, which today are still used in different regions of Mexico to support the roofs of their buildings..

This culture was characterized by having great architects who left us as a legacy, the impressive pyramids that we know.

Ceramics and art

They implemented the use of obsidian and black volcanic crystal, for the manufacture of working tools.

They also made important ceramic creations, such as pots and kitchen utensils that stood out from other cultures for their colorful designs..

We hope you have learned about the fascinating Teotihuacan culture and its important contributions to society.

If you are interested in learning more about these amazing cultures, you will love to read: Zapotec Culture: Location, Contributions and Characteristics