The Pyramid of the Sun

Teotihuacan, Mexico

Pyramid of the Sun


Fast Facts

The Pyramid of the Sun was built in 2 A.D. along with the surrounding city of Teotihuacan and the Pyramid of the Moon. This ancient area was said to be the place where men became gods. Mexican lore states that the two pyramids were built to honor the birth of the Sun and Moon gods. I Priests would perform daily rituals from both pyramids in their honors. Just recently a man's body was found buried in the Moon Pyramid. The man was apparenlt buried alive with art, gold and sacrafices for the god. As a connector between the pyramids, the Avenue of the Dead runs for about a mile. The priests would walk the avenue during their religious cerimonies. Although the ancient city was a religious hub, it also was one of the largest cities at the time, and had approximately 100,000 people. When the
*The Pyramid of the Sun was built in 2 A.D. along with the surrounding city and the Pyramid of the Moon.

*The city of Teotihuacan was the first true city in Mesoamerica, with around 100,000 people.

*The Pyramid of the Sun is the third largest in the world

*When originally built, the Mexican pyramids were plastered and painted red. None of that color or plaster remains today, leaving the pyramids simply stone-colored.

*A great disaster ravaged the city, reducing the population to 70,000. Many moved and several years later the city was burned and destroyed and finally abandoned.

Map of Pyramids and Surrounding City


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