Southeastern corner of the Zocalo in Mexico City

Plaza de las Tres Culturas, Mexico City

Olmecs ("rubber people" in Nahuatl) 750 BC BC Calendar Ball courts Pyramids Long distance trade

Teotihuacan (“Place of the Gods” in Nahuatl): 100 BC AD ~8 square miles Multi-ethnic population of ~100, ,000 Influences extended to Maya of Yucatan Pyramid of the Sun ~75m high

The Pyramid of the Sun is the second largest pyramid in Americas. Third largest in the world. 225m X 225m at its base Great Pyramid at Cholula is the largest in the world. ~66m high 450m X 450 m at its base

Pyramid of the Moon ~45m high

Doing business on the “Avenue of the Dead”.

More business

And, more business

And….

Pyramid of the Sun from Pyramid of the Moon

Avenue of the Dead

Temple of the Feathered Serpent, “Quetzalcoatl”.

Pyramid of the Moon

Statue in Ixtlan, Oaxaca that commemrates Zapotec warriors who resisted Mexica forces in the first decade of the 1500s.

Another map of Valley of Mexico. You read about chinampas in the article by West. Some chinampas still exist. However, one aspect of the growth of Mexico City was the draining of the lakes and chinampas.

Remains of Great Temple of Tenochtitlan ~1300 A.D. to 1519 A.D.

Dedicated simultaneously to two gods,Huitzilopochtli, god of war and Tlaloc, god of rain and agriculture.

Sacred Precinct of Tenochtitlan. ~ 200m X 200m

Different stages of temple Earlier Later

Serpents are a common feature of Mesoamerican archeological sites.

Black = urban area Dotted = lake area The Gran Canal is critical for draining sewage and storm water out of the valley.