======Teotihuacan======
**Teotihuacan** is an ancient [[mesoamerica|Mesoamerican]] city located in a sub-valley of the [[Valley of Mexico]], which is located in the [[State of Mexico]], 25 miles (40km) northeast of modern-day [[Mexico City]]. Teotihuacan is known today as the site of many of the most architecturally significant Mesoamerican pyramids built in the pre-Columbian Americas, namely the [[Pyramid of the Sun]] and the [[Pyramid of the Moon]]. At its height, perhaps in the first half of the first millennium (1 CE to 500 CE), Teotihuacan was the largest city in the Americas, considered as the first advanced civilization on the North American continent, with a population estimated at 125,000 or more,[([[http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/teot/hd_teot.htm|"Teotihuacan"]], The Metropolitan Museum of Art.)] [(Millon, p. 18)] making it at least the sixth-largest city in the world during its epoch.[(Millon, p. 17)]
The city began as a religious center in the Mexican Highlands around the first century CE and covered eight square miles (21 km2); 80 to 90 percent of the total population of the valley resided in Teotihuacan. Apart from the pyramids, Teotihuacan is also anthropologically significant for its complex, multi-family residential compounds, the Avenue of the Dead, and its vibrant, well-preserved murals. Additionally, Teotihuacan exported fine [[obsidian]] tools found throughout Mesoamerica. The city is thought to have been established around 100 BCE, with major monuments continuously under construction until about 250 CE.2)The city may have lasted until sometime between the 7th and 8th centuries CE, but its major monuments were sacked and systematically burned around 550 CE. Its collapse might be related to the extreme weather events of 535–536.
Although it is a subject of debate whether Teotihuacan was the center of a state empire, its influence throughout Mesoamerica is well documented. Evidence of Teotihuacano presence is found at numerous sites in [[Veracruz]] and the [[Maya]] region. The later [[Aztecs]] saw these magnificent ruins and claimed a common ancestry with the Teotihuacanos, modifying and adopting aspects of their culture. The ethnicity of the inhabitants of Teotihuacan is the subject of debate. Possible candidates are the [[Nahua]], [[Otomi]], or [[Totonac]] ethnic groups. Other scholars have suggested that Teotihuacan was multi-ethnic, due to the discovery of cultural aspects connected to the Maya as well as [[Oto-Pamean]] people. It is clear that many different cultural groups lived in Teotihuacan during the height of its power, with migrants coming from all over, but especially from [[Oaxaca]] and the [[Gulf Coast]].[([[https://dx.doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvdjrqh6.9|"Past Lives in Different Places"]], Spence, Michael W.; White, Christine D.; Rattray, Evelyn C.; Longstaffe, Fred J. (2006-12-31), p. 155–197)] [([[https://dx.doi.org/10.1006/jasc.1999.0504|"Immigration and the Ancient City of Teotihuacan in Mexico: a Study Using Strontium Isotope Ratios in Human Bone and Teeth"]], Price, T.Douglas; Manzanilla, Linda; Middleton, William D. (Oct 2000).)]
After the collapse of Teotihuacan, central Mexico was dominated by more regional powers, notably [[Xochicalco]] and [[Tula]].
The city and the archeological site are located in what is now the San Juan Teotihuacán municipality in the State of México, approximately 40 kilometers (25 mi) northeast of Mexico City. The site covers a total surface area of 83 square kilometers (32 sq mi) and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.[([[https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/414|"Pre-Hispanic City of Teotihuacan"]], Centre, UNESCO World Heritage)] It is the most-visited archeological site in Mexico, receiving 4,185,017 visitors in 2017.[("[[http://www.estadisticas.inah.gob.mx/|Estadística de Visitantes]]", INAH.)]
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{{tag>review geography}}