Agenda ► Mayan Glyphs [page from Dresden Codex] ► Discussion of Mayan writing as history ► Teotihucan ► Study guide to be posted Friday evening ► Exam next Thursday

Page from Dresden Codex is … ► Mathematical ► Astronomical ► Predictive ► If we calculate the numbers in columns up to the 400’s we get the totals 5934, 6151, 6328, 6545, 6722, 6910 ► Is there a pattern? ► Try subtracting one from the other.

► A new pattern emerges. ► Totals are now: 217, 177, 217, 177, 188 ► Another block of numbers at the bottom of the page gives totals: 177, 177, 177, 177, 177, 148 ► What can this pattern signify?

► If we add any two together we get numbers between 354 and 365. Anything familiar here? ► 177 is exactly 6 Lunar months of 29.5 days ► 148 is 5 lunar months ► It is a celestial calculator for predicting…

► …Lunar eclipses. ► Can you find the glyph that represents the eclipse? ► Problems… They do not use an exact base 20. The Maya inserted ritual and spiritual beliefs into their number system which leads to small calculation errors, corrected by other numbers.

Teotihuacan “The Place Where Time Began”

Avenue of the Dead

City Plan

Avenue of the Dead. Temple of the Moon and Temple of the Sun

Temple of the sun at summer solstice.

Rise and Fall of a superpower ► AD ► Peak from during the first half of the Classic Period ► Political and cultural influences reached to all areas of MesoAmerica. ► The period witnessed tremendous increase in construction of monumental centers.

► Teotihuacan differed from all other cities: it evolved along a strict grid plan. ► Strong evidence of master plan for urban life. ► In early classic period the city expanded through extensive redevelopment. ► Multiple apartment complexes were constructed along straight avenues.

► Full extent of city and neighborhoods greater than San Francisco. ► Less known about rural area and suburbs, but a great city with a large population must be fed. ► Farming and tribute likely supplied the city with subsistence.

Temple of the Sun

Rain God depicted in mural.

Mysteries ► Among the many issues to be resolved are: Who were the Teotihuacanese? ► Where did they come from and why did the greatest city of MesoAmerican become abandoned? ► What Gods did they worship? ► Once so powerful and influential, why did they decline?

Temple of the Feathered Serpent

Social structure ► Although we lack strong evidence it is possible to reconstruct a few aspects of Teotihuacan social life. ► Ranked differences noted in housing, burials, personal goods. ► Extensive stratification by wealth and ethnicity.

► Variation of housing scale and quality of neighborhood indicate ethnic and craft specialist enclaves. ► Social divisions included elite wealthy, warriors, merchants, middle class, poor, and slaves.

Ideology ► Not fully understood to this day ► Murals suggest worship of both male and female deities ► The Feathered Serpent God is an early manifestation of Quetzalcoatl of Aztec religion ► Importance of “place” and origin of humanity myths ► Patrilineal ► Veneration of the dead ► Use of intoxicants in ritual ► Worship of god of rain

The Arts ► Fine clothing and tapestry, mural painting, pottery, sculpture and mosaic work, masonry. ► Architecture is impressive but formal, rigid, and formulaic without the playful experimentation in forms found in Mayan cities.

Onyx mask.

Guatemalan encounters ► Art in Guatemala at sites such as Copan show distinctive Teotihuacan motifs and styles. ► Bone chemistry analysis of some burials at Teotihuacan reveal Guatemalan origins.

Distinctive Teotihuacan motifs

Teotihuacan warrior

Thoughts on decline ► Suggested reasons for the demise of Teotihuacan include: internal strife owing to crop failures and economic failure. The elite were responsible for prosperity through their special relationship with the gods. A decline in prosperity is therefore the fault of the elite. Evidence for an uprising among the population.

► Overpopulation of the city has its own problems: shortages of essential resources, high infant mortality rates, poor health of inhabitants. ► Bone chemistry studies of skeletons from burials suggest high levels of malnutrition and a diet steep in maize and little else.