What makes this site special?

unique Urban design

Teotihuacán started off around the time of Christ as one of several competing chiefdom centres in the Valley of Mexico. After lava from the eruption of Mt. Xitle (around 245-315 AD) destroyed its main competitor, Cuicuilco, Teotihuacán entered a period of rapid urbanization. Two huge pyramids were built and the city expanded over 20 square kilometres. The urban design is different from other ancient cities in Mesoamerica. The whole city shows an orthogonal layout (involving right angles, like a chessboard). The city was laid out around a central avenue, the Street of the Dead, instead of the usual public plazas. Along the avenue apartment compounds were built (multi-family residences). The degree of standardisation in housing and the extent of chessboard planning are without precedent in Mesoamerica.

In Aztec mythology, the universe itself was created in Teotihuacán [teotiwa'kan]. The huge pyramids were designed ‘to turn men into gods’, using the layout of a celestial plan: the city had been apparently built as a 'map of heaven', a scale model of the solar system, including Uranus, Neptune and Pluto (not rediscovered until 1787, 1846 and 1930 respectively). The layout of Teotihuacán’s pyramids (right in the image below) is often compared to the pyramids at Giza (left), also built along the lines of the Orion constellation (source: ancient-wisdom.com). You feel that cosmic power as soon as you walk along the Street of the Dead. You realize instantly that some cosmic game is in play here.

I felt very 'small' when visiting this majestic place (in 2004). Its scale made me think about the creation of the world and the universe and where we stand in it. That was exactly what the builders meant to achieve: to intimidate and evoke awe. At the same time, you can soak up the energy from this spiritual place. It is a must see, if you are in Mexico City.