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Mexico is the home to North America’s greatest native civilizations. The familiar pyramids and ruins of the Maya and Aztecs have entered the popular consciousness as the pinnacle of Mesoamerican civilization. However, their contemporary and predecessor have monuments far more magnificent and had power and influence that rivaled that of its contemporaries elsewhere in the world.
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Back when the Maya city-states were still emerging, their lands were dominated by a far greater nation, whose capital city was to inspire awe in all its subsequent successors. Known to the Aztecs as Teotihuacan—city of the gods—this capital was America’s first planned city. In its heyday, the city was a multi-ethnic metropolis that exerted power and influence far beyond its reach. It was one of the largest cities in Pre-Columbian America and among the greatest examples of city planning in history.
The people of Teotihuacan had adhered strictly to their geometric grid, punctuated by large public squares lined with platforms in the talud-tablero style that would be common in Mesoamerica for centuries to come. Also notable are the two pyramids built by its residents; the pyramid of the sun is the largest pyramid by sheer volume and base area alone, dwarfing those in Egypt in all but sheer height.
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This great city served as the cultural inspiration for the many civilizations that followed, including the iconic Maya and Aztecs. Even as ruins, the city continues to draw crowds awestruck by the sheer skill and achievements of its builders and the power it had exerted in its lifetime.
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