Jarrod Pinkerton
General Description
The Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan, Mexico is located about 31 miles north east of Mexico City. It is one of many pyramids along the Avenue of the Dead built for deity worship. The rise and fall of Teotihuacan was between 500 BCE and 650 CE when the city was abandoned and burned because the people had used too many of their natural resources to construct the massive temples, palaces and pyramids (Learn NC, 2009). The pyramid and town were given their names by visiting Aztec people long after the city of Teotihuacan was abandoned. The name given to the pyramid by its creators is unknown, but it was most likely used to worship the sun. The structure is the second largest pyramid in Mesoamerica and the third largest in the world.
Architectural Design
The pyramid was constructed in two phases. The Teotihuacan people did not have wheeled machines for carrying or beasts of burden, so the people had to carry all 2.5 millio
n tons of rock and earth used to construct the structure. The second phase ended with the pyramid reaching 215 feet high with a base of 738 feet across (Lazzari & Schlesier, 2005). When the structure was completed, it had an alter at the top which has not survived to today. It was constructed in tiers with rounded edges. The entire structure sits atop a vast underground cave most likely created by the Teotihuacan people.
Harmony with Nature
The Pyramid of the Sun is an organic structure designed to blend with its natural surroundings. Its sheer mass coupled with its tiered design makes it look like one of the many mountains surrounding the city of Teotihuacan (Lazzari & Schlesier, 2009). Early Mesoamerican people found spirituality in nature and within the human psyche. The structure is built to be a place where people can come to feel surrounded by nature and the deities that rule the natural world.
Symbolism and Sacred Objects
The city of Teotihuacan was built on a grid using North, South, East, and West. The main road, the Avenue of the Dead, runs directly North and South through the city. The people of Teotihuacan most likely worshipped celestial bodies and structures within the city were built to correlate with changes in the heavens. Until the early part of the twentieth century, the top of the pyramid was covered with mica that was imported from far away in South America. The mica was believed to be a conductor of solar energy that would transmit the energy from the top of the pyramid to the caves below where people could use it in their daily spiritual lives (Learn NC, 2009). The levels of the pyramid symbolized the three levels of the Teotihuacan cosmos: the celestial, terrestrial, and subterranean (Encyclopedia Brittanica, 2009).
How it is used by Worshippers
The Pyramid of the Sun was most likely used to worship a sun deity of some kind or the great goddess. In many Mesoamerican cultures of the time, the ruler was believed to be an incarnation of the sun god (Science Encyclopedia, 2009). To appease the god and assure a fruitful harvest and healthy children, the alter at the top of the pyramid may have been used for human sacrifices. Many sun deities of the time had a great appetite for human flesh and unless they were fed ceremonially, the people would suffer. Also, the caves below the temple were a place of worship and meditation. Celestial energy was harvested and channeled into the caves to enhance spiritual well-being and physical health.
Sources
Encyclopedia Brittanica. Retrieved on April 18, 209 from www.brittanica.com.
Lazzari, M., & Schlesier, D. (2005). Exploring Art: A Global, Thematic Approach.
Belmont, CA, Thomson Wadsworth.
Learn NC. Retrieved on April 18, 2009 from www.learnnc.org.
Science Encyclopedia. Retrieved on April 18, 2009 from http://science.jrank.org.
General Description
The Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan, Mexico is located about 31 miles north east of Mexico City. It is one of many pyramids along the Avenue of the Dead built for deity worship. The rise and fall of Teotihuacan was between 500 BCE and 650 CE when the city was abandoned and burned because the people had used too many of their natural resources to construct the massive temples, palaces and pyramids (Learn NC, 2009). The pyramid and town were given their names by visiting Aztec people long after the city of Teotihuacan was abandoned. The name given to the pyramid by its creators is unknown, but it was most likely used to worship the sun. The structure is the second largest pyramid in Mesoamerica and the third largest in the world.
Architectural Design
The pyramid was constructed in two phases. The Teotihuacan people did not have wheeled machines for carrying or beasts of burden, so the people had to carry all 2.5 millio
n tons of rock and earth used to construct the structure. The second phase ended with the pyramid reaching 215 feet high with a base of 738 feet across (Lazzari & Schlesier, 2005). When the structure was completed, it had an alter at the top which has not survived to today. It was constructed in tiers with rounded edges. The entire structure sits atop a vast underground cave most likely created by the Teotihuacan people.Harmony with Nature
The Pyramid of the Sun is an organic structure designed to blend with its natural surroundings. Its sheer mass coupled with its tiered design makes it look like one of the many mountains surrounding the city of Teotihuacan (Lazzari & Schlesier, 2009). Early Mesoamerican people found spirituality in nature and within the human psyche. The structure is built to be a place where people can come to feel surrounded by nature and the deities that rule the natural world.
Symbolism and Sacred Objects
The city of Teotihuacan was built on a grid using North, South, East, and West. The main road, the Avenue of the Dead, runs directly North and South through the city. The people of Teotihuacan most likely worshipped celestial bodies and structures within the city were built to correlate with changes in the heavens. Until the early part of the twentieth century, the top of the pyramid was covered with mica that was imported from far away in South America. The mica was believed to be a conductor of solar energy that would transmit the energy from the top of the pyramid to the caves below where people could use it in their daily spiritual lives (Learn NC, 2009). The levels of the pyramid symbolized the three levels of the Teotihuacan cosmos: the celestial, terrestrial, and subterranean (Encyclopedia Brittanica, 2009).
How it is used by Worshippers
The Pyramid of the Sun was most likely used to worship a sun deity of some kind or the great goddess. In many Mesoamerican cultures of the time, the ruler was believed to be an incarnation of the sun god (Science Encyclopedia, 2009). To appease the god and assure a fruitful harvest and healthy children, the alter at the top of the pyramid may have been used for human sacrifices. Many sun deities of the time had a great appetite for human flesh and unless they were fed ceremonially, the people would suffer. Also, the caves below the temple were a place of worship and meditation. Celestial energy was harvested and channeled into the caves to enhance spiritual well-being and physical health.Sources
Encyclopedia Brittanica. Retrieved on April 18, 209 from www.brittanica.com.
Lazzari, M., & Schlesier, D. (2005). Exploring Art: A Global, Thematic Approach.
Belmont, CA, Thomson Wadsworth.
Learn NC. Retrieved on April 18, 2009 from www.learnnc.org.
Science Encyclopedia. Retrieved on April 18, 2009 from http://science.jrank.org.
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