TEOTIHUACAN

LESSON PLAN

MARY ELLEN PAGE

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES

Be able to locate Mexico City on a map, and then pinpoint Teotihuacan

Have an appreciation for the valuable contributions that the Teotihuacans have made to the world Identify people who influenced this period in history Recognize dates, events, and things indigenous to this civilization

Appreciate another cultures religious beliefs even though they may be vastly different from your own Develop critical thinking skills

Recognize the difference in B.C. and A.D. dates and be able to create a time line using these important events Differentiate between the pyramids of Mesoamerica and those of ancient Egypt

These materials are for classroom use only and may not be used for commercial purposes.

SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES Locate Mexico City and the surrounding area on a map. Pinpoint Teotihuacan
outside of Mexico City Review the vocabulary list to be sure that students understand each word or expression Discuss the idea of human sacrifice from our perspective and that of the natives of Teotihuacan more than five centuries ago While we find this ritual absolutely repulsive, the natives of long ago looked at it as 1) a guaranty of pleasing the gods so that the sun would shine every day. 2) They felt that the gods had given them life, the blessings of food, conquests in battle, and everything they needed. In return, they would offer the gods the most precious thing they possessed, their lives. However, the different tribes used prisoners of war rather than sacrifice their own people. They also groomed certain young people all their lives to be the special sacrifices to the gods. Parents felt that it was an honor to offer their children to the gods. In the case of the Teotihuacans, theY felt that since they had stolen the bones from the cave, that they had offended the gods and had to gain their friendship again by offering themselves as sacrifices. Discuss the pyramids, what it is, how it is used, where they are found. Compare the Great Pyramid in Egypt with that of the Pyramid of the Sun.

o The Egyptian one as we find out from archeologists lately was not a
burial tomb for the pharaohs, but rather a solar observatory. There are no bodies in the Great Pyramid. (I climbed inside to the top and the bottom and saw no sarcophagi with pharaohs.)

o However, those at Teotihuacan were intended as burial chambers for

their great rulers. In fact, the walkway in front of the Pyramid of the Sun was called the Avenue of the Dead because the military processions

which passed in front of them were part of the burial ritual and the area led to the entrance to the tombs. o In Mesoamerica, the natives used pyramids and pyramid-like structures to mark the passing of the months for planting and harvesting, since many civilizations had no regular calendar. o The Great Pyramid is only 36 taller than the one at Teotihuacan.

o The Mexican pyramid is a four-story one on different levels, while the

Egyptian one is a perfectly shaped triangle. o It is possible to climb to the top of the Pyramid of the Sun and is easy to descend today since they have installed a chain from top to bottom. (It wasnt there when I tried to climb it, and I regrettably never got higher than 13 steps!!) o o o There is no ceremonial temple at the top of either, unlike those of the Mayans in the Yucatan Peninsula. The Egyptian one is aligned almost perfectly with the four cardinal points of N, S, E, W. The Pyramid of the Moon is a lot smaller and has inclining panels on its rectangular frame.

o Teotihuacan flourished from 100 B.C. to 600 A.D. (dates can vary by
200 yrs. either way since the Teotihuacans had no written history) so their temple is much newer that the Egyptian one built more than 4500 yrs. ago. o There are steps on Mexicos temple but none on Cheops.

o Mexicos is dedicated to honoring multiple rulers, with each of Egypts

honored only one for each pyramid.

Create a time line for the period 200 B.C. to A.D. 1519 (with the fall of the Aztec
Empire and the rule of the Spanish in the New World.) Use handout for data.

 Give students informational handout and discuss its contents Assign for homework: Preview the questions for discussion and those for after viewing the video Review the discussion questions with class

View the video, Teotihuacan (National Geographic Ancient Mysteries series) and
have students take notes Discuss the video Supply information for the categories on the chart: people, places, things, events Test students on the video and the Teotihuacan civilization

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION BEFORE VIEWING THE VIDEO

How does having or the lack of a written language affect a civilization? Religion was considered the cement to keep the civilization together. How does this function in early civilizations? What do mass graves often suggest about a civilization? How can a civilization share reverence for peace, yet offer human sacrifices?

VOCABULARY LIST
Identify each of the following archeologists Avenue of the Dead Aztecs balance betrayed cave Citadel City of the gods conquistadors Cuicuilco El Dorado harmony Hernn Corts human sacrifice Mayans Noche triste (sad night) no written language Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent Pyramid of the Moon Pyramid of the Sun ritual storm god Teotihuacan Teotihuacans Texcocos Tlaxcalans tranquility Utopia Venus warfare wrath year one reed

IMPORTANT PEOPLE, PLACES, THINGS, EVENTS Identify the following PEOPLE

Aztecs Teotihuacans Storm god Montezuma Hernn Corts Tlaxcalans Texcocos

PLACES
Avenue of the Dead Teotihuacan Citadel Cuicuilco El Dorado

THINGS
200 skeletons human sacrifices City of the gods Pyramid of the Sun Pyramid of the Moon Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent

EVENTS
volcanic eruption anger of the gods no written language stealing bones from the gods betrayal of Quetzalcoatl Noche triste (sad night) desecrating nature death of Montezuma

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TEOTIHUACAN VIDEO
Answer the following briefly but completely.

1. What type of civilization did the Teotihuacans hope to create?

2. How long did their civilization last? Give approximate dates. 3. What does Teotihuacan mean in the Aztec language?
4. What were some of their major accomplishments?

5. Why did the Aztecs call the long road in front of the pyramid the Avenue of the
Dead?

6. How does the Pyramid of the Sun differ from the Great Pyramid of Egypt?
7. Why are the caves important in Mesoamerican cultures?

8. The volcanic eruption that destroyed Cuicuilco, the predecessor of

Teotihuacan, had a great psychological impact on Teotihuacan. How did its destruction influence the Teotihuacan way of life? 9. What theory explains the lack of written language in this civilization? 10. Why did Teotihuacans offer human sacrifice? 11. How was the Aztec civilization influenced by the Teotihuacans?

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ANSWER KEY TO TEOTIHUACAN VIDEO

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Harmonious, blissful Utopia 200 B.C.-900 A.D. approx. 1100 yrs. "abode of the gods" Sculpture, stone cutting, building apartments for 200,000 inhabitants, temples, Utopia for a while, great city, peace loving for a long time tombs of the city's rulers lined the street The Pyramid of the Sun is a stepped pyramid, it was a ceremonial center, and supposedly contained the tombs of the rulers. Egypt: monument for one ruler, smooth pyramid thought that it was the womb of the earth ---- all people came from there age of glory erased; people fled to another area and set up in Teotihuacn; thought the gods were angry with them for expanding their city and destroying forests; decided to appease them by offering human sacrifices, haunted by horrors of the catastrophe They wanted to be unique and set themselves apart from the rest of the world. They kept history and daily life secret from others. Other cultures wrote exclusively about their rulers. Teotihuacn purposely did not have rulers. To appease the gods; they felt that they had stolen forcefully the bones from the underworld and they angered the gods by doing this. They devastated the land by greatly expanding their city. They stole from the gods. Life was theirs because they had forcefully taken bones from the gods and now they had to return a few humans to save the rest.

7. 8.

9.

10.

12. Montezuma and the Aztecs were fascinated by the buildings, believing that the
gods had created Teotihuacn. Montezuma wanted to unlock the mysteries of Teotihuacn. He offered human sacrifices every 20 days to appease the gods so that the same fate did not come to the Aztecs.

1)

Answer key to Test on Teotihuacan: L 2) T 3) I 4) C 5) O 6) V 7) U 8) D 9) A 10) G 11) E 12) J 13) M 14) B 15) F 16) S 17) N 18) H 19) K 20) P

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INFORMATIONAL HANDOUT ON TEOTIHUACAN Because the Teotihuacans did not believe in record keeping, they had no written language. Much of what we know today has been the result of many scientific investigations and archeological excavations. The following represents some of the research for the past century. Not all scientists agree on the dates, so these are only approximations. Teotihuacan ---Place where men become gods also called City of the gods This is believed to be Mexicos first great city The population varied somewhere between 100,000 and 250,000 at its peak and was said to be the largest city in the world Destroyed 500 yrs before the conquest (1000 A.D.) Legend --- Indians told Spanish that the huge bones were of giants who built the pyramid Spanish told Aztecs The Aztecs had already been making pilgrimages to this mysterious site before the arrival of the Spanish in 1519 The Aztecs thought that it was a sacred place, perhaps the birth of civilization took place here Two gods threw themselves into fire and became god of sun and moon, thus the monumental pyramids were built 1521 Spanish conquer Aztecs in bloody battle (sad night noche triste 100 B.C. 600 A.D. Teotihuacan flourished The earliest buildings were constructed in 200 B.C. Its Golden Ages was probably between A.D. 150 - 450 It had 100,000 people, lot of influence out of Mexico Exchanged pottery, obsidian (a very hard black mineral used to make weapons), turquoise Indians began to build temples No beasts of burden Obsidian --- volcanic glass Many potters, jewelers, and craftsmen lived and worked in this region

By A.D. 750 they had destroyed much of the forest with their construction projects

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 They cut down whole forest to get limestone for construction The gods became angry with them for their destruction of what they had given the Teotihuacans They could no longer live in harmony Many buildings were systematically burned and destroyed possibly by invaders in 750 VII century they left Why did they leave? Where did they go? When there are no records, archeologists need to examine soil, skeletons, pottery, and any other artifacts that they find to attempt to draw some conclusions about a previous civilization. Few skeletons found Internal uprisings Droughts lead to malnutrition and famine Great population decline in the VI century Weather might have changed their agriculture Other possibilities: migrations, diseases, war, famine Goddess of water found face down in front of the pyramid of the moon

CITADEL 15 small isolated pyramids that are part of the Teotihuacan complex little city fortress, reason for construction not known Quetzalcoatl --- Quetzal = feathered coatl = serpent Priests also took name Quetzalcoatl PYRAMID OF THE FEATHERED SERPENT (Quetzalcoatl) 365 masks on pyramid Many representations of Quetzalcoatl, the feathered (plumed) serpent which represented their principal god Related to calendar 2 gods water flowing river and rain Fertility pyramid Indians were farmers Full of color, pinkish red, turquoise, and white (like Greeks used lots of color) Tlaloc the rain god wears glasses variety of white sea shells Notice the art form of the snake between each layer --- body and mask of Quetzalcoatl

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PYRAMID OF THE SUN Largest pyramid of all of Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica Completed about A.D. 100 The older of the two pyramids Sun sets exactly in front of it on the day when it reaches its zenith Theres no noon shadow Pyramids mark the movement of the stars and sun to help with agriculture 245 meters 66 cms (39 inches = meter, 2 cms. = 1 inch) Cheops pyramid in Egypt is higher by only 90 cms. 4-story platforms The Avenue of the Dead 4 sides = 4 cardinal pts. N, S, E, W No temple on the summit Pyramid of the Moon is rectangular built about A.D. 250 constructed to resist tomb raiders possibly for royal burials Inclining panels Used lime to hold it together Quetzalcoatl Butterfly Palace Had way of collecting water May be the residence of priests Only building with a roof Quetzal bird is not common to Mexico Holes there possibly to string up curtains as protection against sun Anchor animals Jaguar pyramid with religious paintings Tongue sticking out --- blood thirsty How did the Teotihuacanos paint? Used mineral and vegetable colors Spider associated only with women Paradise = music coming out of the mouths Crying and singing at the same time

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 These materials are for classroom use only and may not be used for commercial purposes.

Thousands of murals of high quality artwork

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CREATING A TIME LINE 200 B.C. - A. D. 1519 Using the information from the handout, create a time line that will address the beginning of the Teotihuacan civilization in 200 B.C. until the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs in 1521. TEOTIHUACAN - AZTEC TIME LINE DATE 200 B.C. EVENT Earliest buildings in the Teotihuacan area

1521

noche triste (sad night) and the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs

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Answer key: TEOTIHUACAN - AZTEC TIME LINE DATE

200 B.C. 100 B.C. A.D. 600 A.D. 100 150-450 250 500s 750s 1000 1300 1519

EVENT
Earliest buildings in the Teotihuacan area Teotihuacan flourishes Construction of the Pyramid of the Sun Golden Age of Teotihuacan Pyramid of the Moon, the last built of the temples Drought, decline in population Destroyed most of forest with construction projects; city burned to the ground Whole civilization destroyed Aztecs discover the mysterious ruins of Teotihuacan Spanish arrive in Veracruz

1521

noche triste (sad night) and the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs

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TEST ON TEOTIHUACAN
Match the description in Column A with the item in Column B 1. 2. COLUMN A Teotihuacan means __ in Nhuatl ________ attract thousands of visitors every year. Tombs of rulers lined this area Monument marking Teotihuacans most sacred spot The Teotihuacan world was created in a ______ home of the storm god type of society that the Teotihuacans wanted _____ caused natives of Cuicuilco to flee to Teotihuacan to keep their history a secret from the world, the people had no ______ Mesoamerican civilization with whom the Teotihuacans traded the natives offered _____ to ward off the wrath of the gods great surprise that archeologists found in the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent Aztec ruler who wanted to unlock Teotihuacans mystery god of culture and learning Spanish conquistador who landed in Veracruz in 1519 The Spanish were looking for _______, the city of gold. Night of chaos and carnage that turned the tide for the Spanish in Mexico one of the tribes that ambushed the Spanish soldiers For ___ centuries, Teotihuacan was the dominant power in the region. 20. Much destruction of _____ led to the demise of the city

3.
4.

5.
6. 7.

8. 9.
10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18.

19.

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COLUMN B A. B. C. written language Quetzalcoatl Pyramid of the Sun volcanic eruption human sacrifice Hernn Corts Mayans Tlaxcalans Ave. of the Dead skeletons seven

L. M. N. O. P. Q. R. S.

City of the gods Montezuma noche triste cave forests earthquake five El Dorado summer and winter solstices Utopia Pyramid of the Moon

D. E.
F. G.

H. I. J. K.

T.
U. V.

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TEOTIHUACAN
Be a super scholar and locate the 16 words in this grid. They may be written left to right, right to left, top to bottom, bottom to top. Avenue of the Dead captives Citadela Cuicuilco Mesoamerica Mexico Montezuma peaceful plateau processions pyramid Quetzalcoatl skeletons Teotihuacan Venus volcano

P C A N L T A O C L A Z T E U Q

L P Y R A M I D S A C A N O I N

E T M D E A C A P T I V E S C E

S E O N R A L E D A T I C M A V

N O N E Y D C D T D E E F U L E

O T T V P H S E O N A C L O V N

I I E A L T E H I E U L S I U A

S O Z S A O F T M L C U O S C C

S M U M T U E F E I D F A N A A

E E M O E S S O X S O E M O P U

C X A T A E N E I V A C E T T H

O C L I U C I U C O E A R E A I

R A S E P O O N O L P E E L M T

P L K L R U A E T A L P V E O O

A T E S U N E V C U I C U K N E

T A C I R E M A O S E M S S T T

These materials are for classroom use only and may not be used for commercial purposes.

Answer key:

P L E S N O I C P T E O T I A Y M O N T E N R D N E V A L A E R Y P L T M A A D H T

S S E C O R P A O M E X C A L T Z U M A L S K E S M O T I E L S A T E A U P R U O U S E C O U N

T A C I R E

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A I O D C S L A A C Z A T N E O U I Q N

C A P T I V E S C E

L E D A T I C M A V

C D T D E E F U L E

S E O N A C L O V N

E F H T I M E L U C L U S O I S U C A C

E F E I D F A N A A

S O X S O E M O P U

N E I V A C E T T H

I O A E M U N E V A C O T C O O L A U S E P L I E A E P C M R E V U S E L E K S A M O N T I T O E T

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RESOURCES
Barrea, Kathleen and Esther Pasztory. City of the Gods. Archology, May 1993: 59 Carlson, John B. Rise and Fall of the City of the Gods. Archeology, November 1993:58-69 Grove, David. Archeology. Americas Anthropologist. March 1994: 215 Thorndike, Joseph J. Jr., ed. Mysteries of the Past. New York: Simon & Schuster. 1977

http://studentweb.tulane.edu/~dhixson/teo/teo.html

lots of great photos

http://www.ask.com/wiki/Teotihuacan look at all the photos here too http://www.archaeology.org/online/features/mexico/ New Tomb at Teotihuacan

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