9781422285886

civilization, based around the city of Teotihuacán. Located approximately thirty miles northeast of contemporary Mexico City, construction of Teotihuacán began around 100 bce and continued consistently for the next three centuries. At its height, the city was one of the largest metropolises in the world, with approximately 150,000 inhabitants. The Pyramids of the Sun and Moon, two of the most famous structures of the Mesoamerican world, were also in the city; they remain standing to this day. URBAN ADVANCES Teotihuacánwas very advanced in terms of its city planning. Residents lived in one-story apartment complexes that housed anywhere from sixty to one hundred people. Rooms were built around shared patio spaces with altars for communal or family worship. Some were decorated with intricate, colorful murals. While Teotihuacán was flourishing, the Mayan civilization to the south was spreading across the Yucatán Peninsula and southern Mexico and into Central America. Though the Mayan people had inhabited parts of these areas since approximately 2600 bce , it was not until 250 ce that the “Classic period” of Mayan civilization emerged. This was a time of great advancement in the fields

The Pyramid of the Sun, Teotihuacán, in central Mexico.