In the northeastern part of Mexico, not far from Mexico City, there is the oldest city in the Western Hemisphere - Teotihuacan. Its age is about 2000 years. It is known for the fact that the pyramids of the ancient Aztec and Mayan tribes are located on its territory.
The first settlements on the territory of the future city of Teotihuacan were in the form of villages rallied around a mysterious cave formed during the eruption of lava from a volcano. The locals attached great importance to this grotto, they believed that it was a door to the afterlife, through which the gods themselves descend to them.
Later, the culture of the inhabitants of Teotihuacan significantly influenced the development of the mythology of the Aztecs and subsequent tribes who lived in the lands of Mexico. This was not prevented by the fact that the ruins of the city were found by the Aztec tribes many years after its complete destruction. Today, only a few mysterious monuments remain in the city, the "Road of the Dead", the Pyramid of the Sun and the mystical pyramid of the Moon. It is thanks to these majestic structures that the Aztecs called Teotihuacan the "City of the Gods".
Mysterious Pyramid of the Sun
The Road of the Dead served as the main thoroughfare for the inhabitants of Teotihuacan. Its length - 1.5 miles, continued along all the largest structures in the city, including the Pyramid of the Sun. With its beauty and majesty, this building especially impresses visiting tourists.
Scientists do not know the true purpose of the pyramid of the Sun, however, given its location - along the east-west axis of the path of the sun in the sky, there are suggestions that it symbolized the center of the universe, in another way the center of being.
The height of the pyramid today is 64.5 m, which is the third indicator for similar structures all over the world. The length of each base of the Pyramid of the Sun is approximately 225 m. Its original dimensions, according to archaeologists, were much larger. This mighty structure is made of cobblestone, earth and clay, with the outside of the pyramid trimmed with stones. There is a wooden temple on top of it.
Pyramid of the moon
According to scientists, the pyramid of the moon was erected between 200 and 450 AD. e. It completed the bilateral symmetry of the entire complex of ancient structures.
The 42-meter structure was intended for ritual sacrifices. The killing of animals and people was carried out here in the name of the goddess of the moon and water, Chalchiuhtlicue. From the Road of the Dead to the structure, faced with hewn stone blocks, there are narrow high steps, which significantly complicate the ascent. The pyramid stands in the middle of a huge square.
The pyramid complex in Teotihuacan, like the Egyptian pyramids, is an amazing structure, the construction of which was supposed to be based on mathematical, geometric and astronomical knowledge, which, according to experts, did not exist in the ancient peoples.
