Language & Landmarks: Mexico (Teotihuacan)

Hola and welcome to Teotihuacan located about 40 km northeast of Mexico City in Estados Unidos Mexicanos. The ancient “place of the reeds” “city of the gods” or “city of those who have roads to the gods” has been studied for decades. The Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon are central structures here as pyramids are in other areas of Mexico. The pyramids in the Americas are different from those in Egypt as they seem to have been built as staircases with temples at their peak. The origin of the people who built and inhabited Teotihuacan is still uncertain. There has been no indication of their identity or writing system, but some of the earliest buildings date to about 200 BCE. Archeologists say that the city was a center of industry, craftsmanship, agriculture, and a sophisticated social system. Teotihuacan is just another example of the high intelligence, architectural sophistication and engineering ability of the inhabitants of Mesoamerican in pre-Columbian times. The Mayans, Aztecs, Toltecs, and Olmecs all had their own languages and civilizations. After European conquest, Spanish became the preferred language and old languages and customs fell out of use and disappeared; yet the pride that is shared by Hispanic people is embodied in ancient accomplishments like Teotihuacan. Why did they build the pyramids? Who were the gods of these people? Where did they learn the skills to accomplish these architectural feats? When did the people of Teotihuacan disappear? What is the relationship of the Mexican people today with their ancestors who constructed these cities and structures? - How is your Spanish?

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