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Teotihuacan: City of the Sun and Moon

A ten‑minute journey through the monumental architecture, urban layout, and later memory of ancient Teotihuacan.

Chapters

• 0:07 The Rise of the Sun
• 1:25 The Sacred Axis
• 3:10 The Feathered Serpent Temple
• 4:37 Legacy and Memory

On-screen text

• 0:07 The Rise of the Sun
• 0:14 The Rise of the Sun
• 0:31 Pyramid of the Sun built 100 BCE–250 CE Historical record · Cowgill 1990, Excavations at Teotihuacan, vol. 1
• 0:49 Sun Pyramid built from volcanic tuff from Cerro Gordo Historical record · Hegmon 2009, Stone Procurement at Teotihuacan
• 1:07 Charcoal dates set Sun Pyramid start ~100 BCE Historical record · Smith et al. 2005, Radiocarbon Chronology of Teotihuacan
• 1:25 The Sacred Axis
• 1:32 The Sacred Axis
• 1:49 Avenue of the Dead spans ~2.5 km Historical record · Sugiyama 2005, The Urban Layout of Teotihuacan
• 2:07 Pyramid of the Moon aligns with Avenue's north end Historical record · Pasztory 1997, Teotihuacan: An Experiment in Urban Planning
• 2:25 Avenue flanked by residential compounds Historical record · Cowgill 1990, Excavations at Teotihuacan, vol. 1
• 2:43 City axis oriented 15° east of north Historical record · Pasztory 1997, Teotihuacan: An Experiment in Urban Planning
• 3:01 Pyramid of the Moon mirrors Sun Pyramid at avenue ends Historical record · Pasztory 1997, Teotihuacan: An Experiment in Urban Planning
• 3:10 The Feathered Serpent Temple
• 3:17 The Feathered Serpent Temple
• 3:34 Feathered Serpent Temple features talud‑tablero façade Historical record · López Luján 2005, The Feathered Serpent Temple
• 3:52 Mural shows beaked mask, likely a deity The Institute's interpretation · Millon 1995, Mural Paintings of Teotihuacan
• 4:10 Mural shows beaked mask, likely a deity The Institute's interpretation · Millon 1995, Mural Paintings of Teotihuacan
• 4:28 Moon Pyramid burial of elite with rich offerings Historical record · López Luján 2005, The Feathered Serpent Temple
• 4:37 Legacy and Memory
• 4:44 Teotihuacan, Classic Period, c. 200 CE Historical record
• 5:05 Codex Telleriano‑Remensis: “the place where the gods were born.” Tradition / scripture · Codex Telleriano‑Remensis, folio 12r
• 5:52 Sahagún: “the place where men become gods.” Tradition / scripture · Sahagún, Historia General de las Cosas de la Nueva España

Sources

Historical record: Cowgill 1990, Excavations at Teotihuacan, vol. 1 · Hegmon 2009, Stone Procurement at Teotihuacan · Smith et al. 2005, Radiocarbon Chronology of Teotihuacan · Sugiyama 2005, The Urban Layout of Teotihuacan · Pasztory 1997, Teotihuacan: An Experiment in Urban Planning · López Luján 2005, The Feathered Serpent Temple

Tradition / scripture: Codex Telleriano‑Remensis, folio 12r · Sahagún, Historia General de las Cosas de la Nueva España

The Institute's interpretation: Evans 2004, Teotihuacan: City of the Gods · Millon 1995, Mural Paintings of Teotihuacan

Sound: synthesized ambient (wind, drone, water) (CC0 — made by SoapBox). Made in 69 s of CPU.