Just north of Mexico City rise the majestic ruins of Teotihuacan- the largest, most structured city of the ancient Americas. Teotihuacanos and their city flourished for nearly 800 years beginning A.D. 1, mysteriously disappearing around A.D. 750. Teotihuacan is still an enigma today. Esther Pasztory, professor of art history at Columbia University, believes the answer to the Teotihuacan mystery can be found in the city’s art. Her view is engaging and undoubtedly controversial, but it’s a refreshing examination of one of American archaeology’s most intriguing problems.
There exists no written history at Teotihuacan, nor characteristic features such as ballcourts that help archaeologists draw relationships between many Mesoamerican civilizations. The absence of portraits of great rules is especially nettlesome for scholars. The art of contemporary Maya and Zapotec kingdoms, for example, glorifies great leaders. Yet at Teotihuacan, the greatest city of them all, archaeologists have never discovered a single portrait of a leader either in stone or mural. Pasztory argues that the Teotihuacanos sought to create the image of an integrated community by refraining from glorifying their leaders. Their art highlights nature and supernatural and emphasizes egalitarian values.
Pasztory’s book also documents efforts to standardize the city’s art. Murals in the various barrios show an ordered similarity, as do the mass-produced ritual objects such as censers and figurines. In contrast to Maya and Zapotec cities, Teotihuacan presents the appearance of order through its art and city planning. This suggests a more collective political structure, preoccupied with social order as it becomes a safe haven for its diverse population. Teotihuacan is a provocative examination of another perplexing society of the ancient Americas.
