General Description
The Pyramid of the Sun is located in Teotihuacán, an ancient city that was built by a pre-Aztec culture and was later inhabited by the Aztecs. Until today, very little is known about the Teotihuacan. It is thought that Teotihuacan was established around the time of Christ as a place for spiritual worship. By the fourth century, it had become one of the largest cities in the world with an estimated population of 125,000. Around the seventh century this civilization seemed to come to a sudden end for reasons that up to date are unknown. The central axis of Teotihuacan is the Avenue of the Dead. East of this avenue, at a central location within the city, the Pyramid of the Sun was built. It is the third largest pyramid worldwide.
Architectural Design
The pyramid is made of stone at an impressive size of 738 square feet at base, and a height of 233 feet. The original design is thought to have consisted of four distinct platforms, a temple, and an Adosada platform. The structure was finished with lime plaster on which colorful murals have been painted. The temple along with the upper portion of the pyramid has been destroyed, and it is not known to which deity the temple was dedicated. The pyramid has been reconstructed in the early 20th century with five platforms, which has later been criticized as not accurate. A large stairway leads up the west side of the pyramid.
Harmony with Nature
The name, by which the pyramid is known today, like the names of all other structures in Teotihuacan, was given by the Aztec people. What the Teotihuacános called the pyramid, and whether they had in fact built it in worship of the sun is unknown. The large stairway is facing west towards the setting sun, but no strong connection with solar phenomena has been noticed. The Aztecs highly worshipped the sun, and it is possible that they simply thought of this pyramid as dedicated to the sun due to its impressive size and height that makes it stand out from the surrounding structures. It is also noted that the pyramid appears to be standing “central, but separate and unique” (Pasztory, 1997) within the city. However, if this meaning was intended by the Teotihuacános is not known to us. Another, less speculative, example of how the natural elements are incorporated in the construction of the pyramid is the fact that a natural cave was found underneath the pyramid. Even though the significance of this cave is not fully known, it seems that the presence of the natural cave has been the reason for the pyramid to be built at its exact location.
Symbolism and Sacred Objects
Very few sacred objects were found within the cave underneath the pyramid. Among the findings was a vessel with an image of the Storm God Tlaloc that was commonly offered in burials. However, the identity of the God is not believed to represent the function of the pyramid. The interior of the pyramid is currently the focus of a research project in which physics attempt to investigate the inside material with the help of electron accelerators (Alfaro, 2003). It is not considered impossible that a burial chamber might exist deep inside the pyramid similar to the Egypt pyramids, but no evidence for this assumption exists to this point. Furthermore, the adosada platform was decorated with a number of jaguar and snake figures, both of which were associated with deities in later civilizations.
The cave underneath the pyramid is thought to have been of symbolic significance to the builders of the city. Several suggestions regarding its meaning have been made. For example, similar to the Aztecs, the Teotihuacános might have believed that their people emerged out of the earth from that cave.
How it is used by Worshippers
We do not know how the Teotihuacános originally used this pyramid. It is believed that the cave underneath the structure might have been used for certain ceremonial activities. The finding of several sacred objects within the cave supports this theory, even though it is not clear what kind of rituals were performed in the cave. Furthermore, whether the entire pyramid was intended primarily as a burial place or as a place dedicated to the gods, or both, is not known. What is clear is that the Aztec people later considered it a place for worship of the sun. Evidence exists to suggest that the cave was also of significance to the Aztecs. The glyph the Aztecs used to refer to Teotihuacán consisted of two pyramids over a cave. Today, the pyramid is accessible to tourist and has become a place of primarily historic significance. Thus, its uses have greatly changed over the centuries depending on the peoples that inhabited the city and its surrounding area.
Sources
Alfaro, R. et al (2003). Searching for Chambers and Caves in Teotihuacan’s Sun Pyramid. AIP
Conference Proceedings 670(1), 493-500. Retrieved March 8, 2009 from the Academic Search Complete Database.
Lazzari, M, Schlesier, D. (2002). Exploring Art. A Global, Thematic Approach. Thompson
Learning, 262-265.
Pasztory, E. (1997). Teotihuacan: An Experiment in Living. University of Oklahoma Press.
Retrieved electronically March 4, 2009 at http://ipac.mclennan.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?term=teotihuacan&index=.GW#focus
Witcombe, C. (2009). Art of the Americas. Art History Resources on the Web. Retrieved March
4, 2009, at http://witcombe.sbc.edu/ARTHamericas.html
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