Avenue+of+the+Dead

= Avenue of the Dead =

Introduction
The Avenue of the Dead, sometimes also called the Street of the Dead or just the Dead Avenue, is the ‘main street’ in Teotihuacan. Though we do not know what the actual people who once lived there called the avenue (or even the entire society for that matter), we use these names because they were the names given by the Aztecs once they found this city, which was apparently long after the inhabitants had gone. I will discuss the location (of Teotihuacan and of the Avenue), what is on or by the Avenue of the Dead, the art and architecture of some of the buildings along the Avenue, and I will briefly touch on the murals and paintings that Teotihuacan is well known for. My argument consists of the idea that the original construction of the layout of Teotihuacan was influenced by astronomical information.

Avenue of the Dead: Facts
Teotihuacan is located in the Valley of Mexico.



The Avenue of the Dead expands down the city at a length of over 2.5 kilometers (approximately 1.5 miles), with a width varying but ranging between 40 and 95 meters. Although it is the main avenue, central to Teotihuacán, it is accompanied by several parallel avenues, and at least one other perpendicular avenue. It stretches from the Moon Plaza (Pyramid of the Moon), beyond the Ciudadela and Feathered Serpent Pyramid (located inside the Ciudadela), and is said to end near the edge of the mountains.(1) Along each side of the Avenue are symmetrically arranged apartment complex and pyramid buildings, which hints that the idea that this avenue was possibly planned in the earlier stages of the society.(1)

Pyramid of the Sun/ Pyramid of the Moon
While standing in front of the Pyramid of the Moon, a little further down the Avenue to the left is the Pyramid of the Sun. The Pyramid of the Sun is the largest building built in Teotihuacan (and also one of the first). In addition, it is also one of the largest buildings ever built in Mexico. Research has shown that it was enlarged at least twice after its original build.(2) Underneath the Pyramid of the Sun, a cave was found during excavations (that comes to a common point endpoint directly underneath the pyramid); it is commonly thought to have been where the people of Teotihuacan believed life came from. This belief by archaeologists is largely supported by the fact that caves are commonly found in creation myths throughout Mexico and Mesoamerica as being the birthplace of man (symbolization of water, etc). At the northern end of the Avenue of the Dead is the Pyramid of the Moon. The Pyramid of the Moon is a lot smaller than the Pyramid of the Sun, being only about half the height of The Pyramid of the Sun, and it is a little over half the size at the base. Recently, a tomb of a man with grave goods and sacrificial animals was found at the base of the staircase (which supports evidence that there may be other tombs at the base of other pyramids in the area, a thought that had been proven to be untrue until this find).(4) The building of these two Pyramids is very significant, because they are said to mark the beginning of civilization in the Valley of Mexico.(3)

Cuidadela/ Feathered Serpent Pyramid
Further down the Avenue of the Dead, is the Ciudadela. Located inside the Ciudadela, is the Feathered Serpent Pyramid (also known as the Temple of Quetzalcóatl). The Feathered Serpent Pyramid is the third largest pyramid in the city, and one of the first monumental structures built in Teotihuacan.(4) This pyramid is known for its three dimensional sculptures, and it is said to depict feathered serpents and a sacred headdress. During excavations there were over 200 bodies found under the Feathered Serpent Pyramid, with their hands and feet having been originally tied behind their backs, in which given the circumstances of their dead, are said to be sacrificial victims.(4) The Ciudadela is located geographically in the center of the Teotihuacan, and is a considerably large structure measuring at about 400m on a side. In the four walls was a very large open space, with the capabilities to hold approximately 100,000 people comfortably. This large platform is said to have been a likely area for the gatherings of rituals.(5)

Other Buildings Along the Avenue of the Dead
Also along the avenue are “ over 2000 sizable and substantially built multi-apartment residential compounds,” and many other buildings, such as pyramid platforms, and plazas.(6) These apartment complexes generally could hold about 30 to 40 people in each one, and, though unique, they all seem to follow a general layout plan. Surrounded by a large wall, the complexes had a redirection system for drainage and sewage to outside of the compound. The complexes were comprised of a few rooms around a general patio. Underneath these rooms and patios is where they commonly buried the dead. There seems to be evidence that they buried the founder of the house, as the dead buried are generally male. A Couple of these buildings (The North Palace and The South Palace), right outside the Ciudadela, have been identified as possible administrative buildings and/or residential buildings for the elite.(4)

Murals and Paintings
Teotihuacan is also characterized by it’s elaborate murals. The murals and paintings here are one of the sole preserved forms of art, though the murals on the lower parts of the walls are better preserved. The color red is most often used in these paintings, although blues, yellows and greens were also used, and they are usually flat and what seems like painted quickly on thin plaster walls. Common subjects of the murals in Teotihuacan are quetzals, jaguars, doves, fish, felines, serpents, shelled animals, shells, sea creatures, water lilies, and seeds. As noted by these common subjects, the art is often stylized depictions of things found all around them in the natural world, as well as varying amounts of depictions of supernatural elements, and in some instances recognition of royal burials. Interpretations of these murals seem to vary and there aren’t any clear decisions on what the people of Teotihuacan were trying to display or say through their art, though the art is commonly recognized to have a religious connotation.<span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);">(7) Another very common subject among murals in Teotihuacan are images of gods and goddesses. The two most often depicted deities are the Great Goddess (usually pertaining to agricultural fertility) and Tlaloc, (the storm god). The Great Goddess is usually shown frontally, while Tlaloc is usually shown profile, carrying a lighting bolt in his left hand.<span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);">(8)

<span style="color: rgb(128, 128, 128);">Tepantitla <span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);"> <span style="color: rgb(128, 128, 128);">Jaguar Mural

<span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 0);">Argument: Teotihuacan's Building Layout is Based on Astronomical Observation
Research on the structural layout of the city at Teotihuacan (and also commonly found in other parts of Mesoamerica, though Teotihuacan is one of the best examples) has shown that the construction of buildings refers to astronomical considerations, particularly referring to the position of the sun in the sky during different parts of the year is a common commodity. Considerations of the origin of the city’s layout are also often hypothesized to be associated with the agricultural cycle and the calendrical system. The investigation of the placement of ceremonial centers and pyramids has shown consistent patterns in the dates of sunrises and sunsets. “The intervals separating the dates recorded at a particular site tend to be multiples 13 and 20 days and are, therefore, significant in terms of the Mesoamerican calendrical system; furthermore, the most recurrent dates apparently marked crucial moments of a ritual agricultural cycle. (pg. 404)”<span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);">(10) According to the Teotihuacan Mapping Project, the structures in Teotihuacan range from about 15 degrees to 18 degrees clockwise from the cardinal directions, though it seems that Teotihuacan is comprised of two different orientation groups (which can be explained by the setting and rising of stars<span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);">(10) ). The Avenue of the Dead and the Pyramid of the Sun, along with most of the other buildings central to the city, show a one-degree difference in accordance to the cardinal directions as the Ciudadela and two other avenues. The pyramid of the sun is pointed north towards the top of Cerro Gordo, which isn’t surprising due to the fact that many other temples found in Mesoamerica have been noted to face toward the top of neighboring mountains. There was an assumption in the past that the Avenue of the dead also pointed directly toward the peak of Cerro Gordo, however, that theory has been thrown aside because the Avenue actually points a little to the left of the summit (which is on the side of the viewpoint that the city’s roots are astronomical considerations). Although it cannot be assumed that each and every building in Teotihuacan was built sole on the basis of astronomical observations, it can be said that astronomical observations may have been the reason for the city’s overall layout, with a few of the structures abiding these ideas. From there it seems the rest of the city may have been built after the layout of the original buildings (in which the origin of layout was astronomy.)<span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);">(11)

<span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 0);">Conclusion
In conclusion, the Avenue of the Dead is in Teotihuacan, which is found in the Valley of Mexico. There are many structures built along this avenue, including pyramids, temples, apartment complexes, and administrative buildings, eventually ending up at the steps of the Pyramid of the Sun, the largest pyramid in Teotihuacan, and in addition, one of the largest in Mexico. Teotihuacan is well known for its well preserved murals, and their art depicting the natural and spiritual life, though what these murals and paintings actually mean is debatable. There is much speculation about the orientation of the layout of the city. The two most mentioned hypotheses are whether the layout was agriculturally and topography based, or whether it was based on astronomical observations. Having said that, my argument is that the city layout of Teotihuacan was originally based on the idea astronomical information.

Resources
(1) Sugiyama, Saburo. 2001. Dead Avenue, Teo. Archaeological Research Institute. Arizona State University, archaeology.asu.edu/TeO/intro/Dead.htm (5) 2001. The Ciudadela. Archaeology of Teotihuacan, Mexico. Arizona State University.

(2) Millon, Rene. 1960, The Beginnings of Teotihuacan. American Antiquity 26: 1-10.

(3) Museum of Art, New York www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/teot2/hd_teot2.htm

(4) Anne Pyburn 2003-2004. Mezoamerican Archaeology: Teotihuacan: Mesoamerica's Largest City. Indiana University. www.indiana.edu/~arch/saa/matrix /ma/ma_mod11.html

(6) Cowgill, George L. "FAMSI © 2002 - George L. Cowgill." FAMSI - Home Page - Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, Inc. 30 Nov. 2001. Arizona State University. www.famsi.org/reports/96036/.

(7) James Q. Jacobs 2001. Teotihuacan Mural Art: Assessing the Accuracy of its Interpretation, www.jqjacobs.net/mesoamerica/teo_murals.html

(8) The Metropolitan Museum of Art Teotihuacan: Mural Painting, " The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/teot4/hd_teot4.htm

(9) Dow, James. 1967, Astronomical Orientations at Teotihuacan, A Case Study in Astro-Archaeology, American Antiquity 32: 326-34.

(10) Sprajc, Ivan. 2000. Astronomical Alignments at Teotihuacan, Mexico. Latin American Antiquity 11: 403-15.