The Moon Pyramid Project and the Teotihuacan State Polity

Sugiyama, Saburo; Castro, Rubén Cabrera

doi:10.1017/s0956536107000053

Cited by 46 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…It is possible that the victims of the Feathered Serpent Pyramid (particularly those in the center of the pyramid) were selected for their homeland regions by the state to represent its influence and demonstrate its powerful ideology to the rest of the Mesoamerican world. This behavior would be consistent with Saburo Sugiyama's (2005) hypothesis that the Feathered Serpent Pyramid sacrifices were made to mark the inauguration of a Teotihuacan ruler (see also Sugiyama and López Luján 2007), and the sacrifices symbolize both ideological power and the ability of the military to protect that power. By contrast, it is hypothesized that the Moon Pyramid was used for more religious reasons-that is, associated with the supernatural (Sugiyama 2005;Sugiyama and López Luján 2007).…”

supporting

confidence: 77%

Residential Histories of the Human Sacrifices at the Moon Pyramid, Teotihuacan

White¹,

Price²,

Longstaffe³

2007

Ancient Mesoam

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To investigate geographic origins of the sacrificial Burials 2–5 from the Moon Pyramid at Teotihuacan and to reconstruct changes in residence since their childhoods, we analyzed tooth enamel for oxygen- and strontium-isotope ratios and bone just for oxygen-isotope ratios. The combination of these analytical techniques involves both climatic and geological variables, therefore enhancing resolution of geographic identification. Most of the sacrificed individuals appear to have been born in a foreign location. These regions probably include other areas within the Basin of Mexico and the central highlands, as well as the Gulf Coast and the Sierra Madre del Sur. Other possible regions of origin are the southern highlands, the Motagua Valley, and the Maya Lowlands. There is considerable overlap in the oxygen-isotope ratios between the Moon Pyramid and Feathered Serpent Pyramid victims, but each structure contains a group of isotopically distinct individuals. The Moon Pyramid sacrifices include some individuals with high oxygen-isotope ratios, possibly indicating the Gulf Coast or Maya Lowlands, whereas the Feathered Serpent Pyramid contains a distinct group with very low oxygen-isotope ratios, possibly indicating Oaxaca, Michoacan, or the coastal plain and piedmont of Guatemala. The sacrifices in the two pyramids also differ in their patterns of movement. Most of the Moon Pyramid victims appear to have arrived in the city recently, but the majority of those from the Feathered Serpent Pyramid had lived in Teotihuacan for a long time before their death.

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supporting

confidence: 77%

Residential Histories of the Human Sacrifices at the Moon Pyramid, Teotihuacan

White¹,

Price²,

Longstaffe³

2007

Ancient Mesoam

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“…The decline in research on environmental relations and economies in the archaeology of early states noted by Smith (2004) was not as pronounced at Teotihuacan as in other regions. Some debates have been renewed, particularly regarding the dominant language spoken at Teotihuacan, the nature of its writing/ platform predates the present urban grid orientation and is one of the earliest dated public structures in the city (Cabrera 2006;Cowgill 2008a, b;Sugiyama 2004a, b;Sugiyama and Cabrera 2007;López Luján 2006a, b, 2007). Tunnels in front of the Sun and Feathered Serpent Pyramids are artificial Fig.…”

Section: Teotihuacan: the Citymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Following the Feathered Serpent Project, archaeologists began new investigations around and inside the Moon Pyramid Sugiyama 2004, 2009;Spence and Pereira 2007;Sugiyama and Cabrera 2007) and the Sun Pyramid (Sugiyama and Sarabia 2011;). Gómez's (2013) ongoing excavations of the tunnel to the Feathered Serpent Pyramid inside the Ciudadela have drawn international attention (INAH 2014).…”

Section: Pyramids Politics Religion and Ideologymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Teotihuacan

Nichols

2015

J Archaeol Res

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Teotihuacan in the northeastern Basin of Mexico was an unusually large and influential early city and state. This article reviews recent research trends in Teotihuacan from its founding and explosive growth ca. 100 BC into the largest city in Mesoamerica. Biogenetics provide details of how immigration fueled the city's growth and shaped its multiethnic composition and link Teotihuacan to other parts of the central highlands and more distant regions. Urban theory highlights the importance of neighborhoods and how their composition changed. Collective aspects of irrigation, markets, warfare and the military, and ideology encouraged the development of Teotihuacan's corporate governance. Although Teotihuacan politically dominated central Mexico, its control over the regional economy was not as centralized. Beyond its hinterland, Teotihuacan's foreign relations were a mosaic of trade diasporas, diplomatic exchanges, pilgrimages, emulation, and strategic direct interventions of limited duration. As its foreign influence retracted, Teotihuacan faced challenges from its hinterlands and intermediate elites and factions that culminated in the burning and desecration of the urban center. The Epiclassic saw the change from Teotihuacan's regional state to city-states and confederations. Although much reduced in size, Postclassic Teotihuacan retained an enormous legacy that subsequent states sought for their historical validation.

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“…Burial 6 is contemporaneous with Burial 3, dating to the start of construction of Building 5 about A.D. 300 (Sugiyama and Cabrera Castro 2007). The twelve individuals in the burial all had their hands bound behind their backs (Sugiyama and López Luján 2007:Figures 10 -11).…”

Section: Burialmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Human Skeletal Remains of the Moon Pyramid, Teotihuacan

Spence¹,

Pereira²

2007

Ancient Mesoam

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Beginning with Building 4, each new version of the Moon Pyramid in Teotihuacan was initiated with a major sacrificial event. These events invariably included human victims, males ranging in age from about 14 to 60 or more years (Minimum Number of Individuals (MNI) ¼ 37). Many display cranial modification and dental decoration. In the earliest offering, Burial 2, the lone human was merely one element in a complex tableau. In subsequent sacrifices, the human victims increased in number and became a major focus of the event. There was also a growing dichotomy among them, with numbers of decapitated victims being included in the sacrifices. Skeletal elements from the pyramid fill suggest still other rituals involving human crania (MNI ¼ 11), but the context of these is not yet clear.

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The Moon Pyramid Project and the Teotihuacan State Polity

Cited by 46 publications

References 12 publications

Residential Histories of the Human Sacrifices at the Moon Pyramid, Teotihuacan

Residential Histories of the Human Sacrifices at the Moon Pyramid, Teotihuacan

Teotihuacan

The Human Skeletal Remains of the Moon Pyramid, Teotihuacan

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