Between about 100 B.C. and A.D. 550 a great Native American city developed, flourished, and declined near modern Mexico City. With a peak population of as many as 125,000 residents, it was one of the world’s great cities at that time. It was also the center of a powerful state that had a great deal of religious, political, and economic influence over much of Mesoamerica. In many ways it resembled modern cities with its monumental architecture, residential apartment compounds, and the pull it had on immigrants moving into the great city.
Teotihuacan has been the subject of much research in recent decades, yet it has been slow to yield a full understanding of its history and power. At a time when monarchs ruled most of Mesoamerica, evidence of powerful rulers at Teotihuacan remains elusive. This volume focuses primarily on the interaction of the great city with neighboring regions—the highland and lowland Maya, Central Mexico, Oaxaca, Puebla-Tlaxcala, Veracruz, and others. The evidence suggests Teotihuacan strongly influenced all of these areas for several centuries. That influence seems to be more political and economic and less imperialistic than that of the Aztecs, who later occupied this area.
This volume is the result of a symposium held at Dumbarton Oaks in 2017. Sixteen articles by twenty-two noted Mesoamerica scholars explore many aspects of greater Teotihuacan, including trade, religion, art, and political/military influence. Teotihuacan’s abundant artifacts attest to the extensive trade networks through which goods such as obsidian, cacao beans, feathers, skins, precious stones, and shells were moved on the backs of men.
Teotihuacan is a beautifully produced large format book with ninety-three photos (fifty in color), seventy-two illustrations, one map, and twenty tables. It is the most important and up-to-date discussion of the widespread influence of Teotihuacan in Mesoamerica and a must read for scholars and lay people alike who seek to understand this great Native American city.
