Pyramid of the Sun

The Pyramid of the Sun is the largest building in Teotihuacan, and one of the largest in Mesoamerica. It is believed to have been constructed about 200 AD. It stands along the Avenue of the Dead, between the Pyramid of the Moon and the Ciudadela, in the shadow of the mountain Cerro Gordo, as part of a large complex in the heart of the city.

The name comes from the Aztecs, who visited Teotihuacan centuries after it was abandoned; the name the Teotihuacanos gave it is unknown. It was built in two phases. The first, around 200 AD, brought it to nearly its present size. The second gave its completed size of 225 meters (738 feet) across and 75 meters (246 feet) high, one of the largest pyramids in the world, though just over half the height of the Great Pyramid of Giza (146 metres). The second phase also added an altar on top that has not survived.

The builders finished the pyramid with lime plaster brought from surrounding areas and painted brilliantly colored murals on it. The paint and plaster have not endured. Jaguar heads and paws, stars and snake rattles are among the few images associated with the pyramids. It is thought that the pyramid venerated a deity, but little evidence supports this, and the destruction of the temple on top has prevented identification with any particular deity.

The pyramid was built on a carefully selected spot from which it could be aligned to Cerro Gordo to the north and, in perpendicular directions, to sunrises and sunsets on specific dates. The whole central part of the city's urban grid, including the Avenue of the Dead, reproduces its orientation.

Caves and tunnels lie beneath the pyramid. Archaeologists conclude that these caves were sacred, as caves were important across Mesoamerica, where groups were said to have emerged from cavities called the wombs of the Earth. In 1959 the archaeologist Rene Millon and his team were among the first to study the tunnel system. Most of the main tunnels had been sealed off, though whether deliberately is open to interpretation, and they yielded pottery, hearths and other carefully made artifacts.

The name Pyramid of the Sun comes from the Aztecs, who visited the city of Teotihuacan centuries after it was abandoned; the name given to the pyramid by the Teotihuacanos is unknown. It was constructed in two phases. The first construction stage, around 200 AD, brought the pyramid to nearly the size it is today. The second round of construction resulted in its completed size of 225 meters (738 feet) across and 75 meters (246 feet) high, making it one of the largest pyramids in the world, though still just over half the height of the Great Pyramid of Giza (146 metres). The second phase also saw the construction of an altar atop of the pyramid which has not survived into modern times.

Over the structure, the ancient Teotihuacanos finished their pyramid with lime plaster imported from surrounding areas, on which they painted brilliantly colored murals. While the pyramid has endured for centuries, the paint and plaster have not and are no longer visible. Jaguar heads and paws, stars, and snake rattles are among the few images associated with the pyramids.

It is thought that the pyramid venerated a deity within Teotihuacan society. However, little evidence exists to support this hypothesis. The destruction of the temple on top of the pyramid, by both deliberate and natural forces prior to the archaeological study of the site, has so far prevented identification of the pyramid with any particular deity.