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Located near present-day Mexico City, Teotihuacán was the greatest city of the Americas before the arrival of Europeans. At its height in about ad 500, it covered some 8 square miles (20 square kilometers) and may have housed more than 150,000 people. At the time it was one of the largest cities in the world. It was the region’s major economic as well as religious center.

The origin and language of the residents of Teotihuacán (called Teotihuacanos) are unknown. Perhaps two thirds of them farmed the surrounding fields. Others made distinctive pottery or worked with obsidian, a form of volcanic glass that was used to make weapons, tools, and ornamentation. The city also had large numbers of merchants, many of whom had emigrated there from great distances. Teotihuacán carried on trade with distant regions, and the products of its craftsmen were spread over much of Middle America. The priest-rulers who governed the city also staged grand religious pageants and ceremonies that often involved human sacrifices.

The city contained great plazas, temples, palaces of nobles and priests, and some 2,000 single-story apartment compounds. The main buildings were connected by a great street called the Avenue of the Dead, which stretched 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers). The Avenue of the Dead was once thought to have been lined with tombs, but the low buildings that flanked it probably were palace residences.

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The most prominent feature of Teotihuacán was the Pyramid of the Sun. It dominated the central city from the east side of the Avenue of the Dead. The pyramid is one of the largest structures of its type in the Western Hemisphere, reaching a height of 216 feet (66 meters). An impressive stairway rises dramatically on its west side, facing the Avenue of the Dead. In the early 1970s exploration below the pyramid revealed a system of cave and tunnel chambers. In later years other tunnels were revealed throughout the city, and it was suggested that much of the building stone of Teotihuacán was mined there.

The northern end of the Avenue of the Dead was capped by the Pyramid of the Moon and flanked by platforms and lesser pyramids. The second largest structure in the city, the Pyramid of the Moon rose to 140 feet (43 meters). Its main stairway faced the Avenue of the Dead.

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Near the exact center of the city and just east of the Avenue of the Dead was the Ciudadela (“Citadel”). It was a kind of sunken court surrounded on all four sides by platforms supporting temples. In the middle of the sunken plaza stood the Temple of Quetzalcóatl, the Feathered Serpent god. Numerous stone heads of the god projected from the walls of the temple.

In about ad 750 central Teotihuacán burned, possibly during a rebellion or a civil war. Although parts of the city were occupied after that event, much of it fell into ruin. Nevertheless, its cultural influence spread throughout Middle America.