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- Some 45 kilometers from Mexico
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lies the birthplace of
the gods, Teotihuacan.
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Erected in the 1st century AD,
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it was as heavily populated as Athens.
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Its 65-meter Pyramid of the Sun
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is the second largest in the world
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after the Great Pyramid of Giza,
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built using only man's muscle power.
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- All of Teotihuacan was
created without any metal,
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which is amazing because
that includes everything
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from the construction equipment.
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So it wasn't the technology.
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It was the people that
created Teotihuacan.
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- Of all Mesoamerican cities,
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Teotihuacan is the most mysterious.
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It was the stage of thousands
of human sacrifices.
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Its unique construction
is the work of builders
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who identity remains unknown.
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- They were like Martians.
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I mean, they pulled in people
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into this highly organized city
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on a grid system.
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This was like nothing before.
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- An enigma, the key of which
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may lie deeply buried
in 102-meter long tunnel
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beneath the Pyramid of
the Feathered Serpent.
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- My theory
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is that for a period of time,
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the end of the tunnel was
used to store the remains
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of someone specific,
someone with a lot of power,
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most likely a first era
leader of Teotihuacan.
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- Archeologists
have recently made
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local discoveries that reveal the secrets
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behind the construction of history's
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very first pre-Columbian megalopolis.
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45
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Teotihuacan,
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a city born out of an
incredibly crazy idea,
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to build the city as a giant cosmogram,
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a perfect replica of the universe,
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as a way to reach the level of the gods.
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Following a perfectly orthogonal layout,
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the city is divided into four quadrants,
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separated by two avenues,
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oriented by the four cardinal points.
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At their intersection, the
Temple of the Feathered Serpent
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dedicated to the state god, Quetzalcoatl,
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symbolizes the center of the universe.
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At the north end of the two-kilometer long
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Avenue of the Dead is
the Pyramid of the Moon,
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standing 42 meters high
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and perfectly aligned
with Cerro Gordo peak.
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00:03:34,860 --> 00:03:39,180
Facing west, the 215-meter
wide Pyramid of the Sun
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is only rivaled by the Great
Pyramid of Giza in Egypt.
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67
00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:50,820
The surrounding lands
feature 2,200 dwellings
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spreading over 23 square kilometers,
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a gigantic city that
reached 200,000 inhabitants
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in its heyday, and which took
five centuries to complete.
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72
00:04:05,228 --> 00:04:07,800
- Teotihuacan
was an impressive city,
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one of the five largest cities
in the whole world back then.
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- It's really not just a
city, it's a landscape.
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It's so massive that the
imprint of the ancient city
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still is making thousands
and millions of people
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from all over the world come to visit it.
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That's how successful they were
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as far as creating a convincing template
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that attracted that number of people.
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- The city became
a hotspot for worshipers,
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thanks to its many lavish ceremonies,
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much like on this night in 350 AD.
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From the Avenue of the Dead,
tens of thousands of pilgrims
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marched toward the Pyramid of the Moon.
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At its peak, and with their hands tied,
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men awaited in fear.
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91
00:05:03,450 --> 00:05:06,690
Coming from all four
corners of Central America,
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00:05:06,690 --> 00:05:09,693
they were diplomats,
warriors, or merchants,
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all well-born individuals whose sacrifice
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was expected to please the gods
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and consecrate the imposing monument.
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00:05:27,555 --> 00:05:30,600
With a swoop of the
razor-sharp obsidian axe,
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the men were beheaded.
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They all suffered the same fate
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and their corpses were placed
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in the heart of the great pyramid.
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103
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- Every culture in the world
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practiced sacrifices.
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Even the Romans and the Greeks,
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they all practiced human sacrifice,
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but it was something very special here.
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It was deeply rooted in daily life,
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whether as self-sacrifice, collective,
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or familial sacrifice, or
even entire neighborhoods.
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- You don't select just
anyone for sacrifice.
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They have to be specific individuals
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selected for becoming the
ultimate sacrificial victims,
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representing the state
that are able to fulfill
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the function of a successful
ritual dedication.
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- For what reason?
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Well, it was a way to guarantee
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the durability of their landmarks.
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And when they wanted to
build a new monument,
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they had to carry out a new sacrifice.
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The more they gave, the more
they expected to receive.
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00:06:35,310 --> 00:06:37,650
- While it
is the most impressive,
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Teotihuacan is also the most
mysterious city of Mesoamerica.
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Its civilization left no trace behind,
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and its true name fell
into complete oblivion.
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It was only centuries after
its fall that the Aztecs,
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00:06:54,120 --> 00:06:57,090
standing before such
perfection, gave the city
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00:06:57,090 --> 00:07:01,335
the name of Teotihuacan,
meaning birthplace of the gods.
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00:07:01,335 --> 00:07:03,120
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00:07:03,120 --> 00:07:04,620
One question has continued
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to plague archeologists ever since:
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who built this most
incredible pre-Columbian city?
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00:07:15,106 --> 00:07:18,600
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00:07:18,600 --> 00:07:20,430
In the 1st century BC,
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at an altitude of 2,275 meters,
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men and women from Northern Mexico
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crossed the semi-arid highlands
140
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in search of a place to settle,
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00:07:30,372 --> 00:07:33,622
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a journey that would lead them
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00:07:36,840 --> 00:07:39,003
all the way to the Valley of Mexico.
144
00:07:40,137 --> 00:07:41,220
145
00:07:41,220 --> 00:07:42,900
- I believe
that there were people
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00:07:42,900 --> 00:07:44,660
back then who were geomancers.
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Geomancy is a little-known gift.
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Those who have it are able to determine
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where a city should be founded.
150
00:07:54,450 --> 00:07:57,990
- And they moved into
the Valley of Mexico,
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which is a rich, rich valley.
152
00:07:59,970 --> 00:08:03,090
And because of the richness
of the soils and so on,
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00:08:03,090 --> 00:08:07,770
they were able to pull
people together physically
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00:08:07,770 --> 00:08:09,729
and still support them.
155
00:08:09,729 --> 00:08:12,120
156
00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:13,680
- An abundance that would draw
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an ever-increasing number of migrants
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to Teotihuacan in just a few decades.
159
00:08:19,043 --> 00:08:23,024
160
00:08:23,024 --> 00:08:24,360
161
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- There were between
15 and 20,000 inhabitants,
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00:08:28,860 --> 00:08:31,413
which was already a large
colony for that time.
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And those men and women needed to be fed.
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00:08:36,750 --> 00:08:38,670
So they obviously had to figure out a way
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to increase the yield of their crops.
166
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- A soaring population
that pushed city leaders
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00:08:46,410 --> 00:08:49,293
to rethink traditional
agricultural practices.
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A food shortage would
have clearly been fatal
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to the young city.
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00:08:56,610 --> 00:08:58,320
To increase food production,
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they came up with an ingenious
system of irrigation.
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00:09:01,182 --> 00:09:04,380
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Fed by rainwater, two reservoirs,
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each 500 meters long, 5.5 meters wide,
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and 1.4 meters deep,
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irrigated large expanses
of agricultural land.
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The water was pulled by gravity
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into grooves carved into the bedrock,
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which maintained constant humidity
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in the thin layer of arable soil,
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00:09:30,540 --> 00:09:34,590
a complex system that allowed
for multiple harvest annually,
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much to the prestige of the city's elite.
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00:09:37,270 --> 00:09:39,589
185
00:09:39,589 --> 00:09:41,700
186
00:09:41,700 --> 00:09:44,010
- It's highly
likely that the group
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that oversaw the planning and
construction of the system
188
00:09:48,750 --> 00:09:52,200
started to gain more and more power.
189
00:09:52,200 --> 00:09:54,690
- The political authority of Teotihuacan
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is very well contested, right?
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00:09:56,670 --> 00:09:58,470
Some people say that it was a type
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of collaborative rulership,
and some say, no,
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it was a very traditional
autocratic rulership,
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which one ruler that ruled
resided over the city itself.
195
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The reason we're contesting
it so much is because
196
00:10:10,800 --> 00:10:12,510
one, we don't have a writing system,
197
00:10:12,510 --> 00:10:15,390
so we don't have a history
of, you know, the Maya area.
198
00:10:15,390 --> 00:10:18,990
They have lavishly
engraved epigraphic records
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of every ruler, every affair he had.
200
00:10:21,240 --> 00:10:23,130
We don't have that at Teotihuacan.
201
00:10:23,130 --> 00:10:24,480
The second thing is that
202
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we don't actually have a burial of a king.
203
00:10:28,170 --> 00:10:30,360
So, a centralized authority.
204
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It doesn't have to be one person,
205
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but it's much easier if it is.
206
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So until I see evidence for the contrary,
207
00:10:37,200 --> 00:10:39,903
I think it's really important
to keep that in mind.
208
00:10:41,430 --> 00:10:43,560
- Whether or not
they shared their power,
209
00:10:43,560 --> 00:10:45,540
the city's elites definitely had
210
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some serious competition in the region.
211
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212
00:10:52,560 --> 00:10:55,440
The south was home to the Zapotec Empire
213
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and the impressive city of Monte Alban.
214
00:10:58,500 --> 00:11:01,410
To the east was the
powerful Maya civilization
215
00:11:01,410 --> 00:11:04,867
and its monumental cities
of Nakbe and Calakmul.
216
00:11:06,537 --> 00:11:09,690
And just a day away on
foot to the southwest
217
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was Cuicuilco, the largest urban center
218
00:11:12,540 --> 00:11:14,613
in the Valley of Mexico at the time.
219
00:11:16,140 --> 00:11:19,713
And all of these cities were
home to monumental pyramids.
220
00:11:21,840 --> 00:11:22,673
221
00:11:22,673 --> 00:11:24,570
- Religion
played a fundamental role
222
00:11:24,570 --> 00:11:25,980
in the creation of the world
223
00:11:25,980 --> 00:11:28,560
for the ancient people of Mesoamerica.
224
00:11:28,560 --> 00:11:31,683
There's not a single city that
wasn't built around a temple.
225
00:11:32,730 --> 00:11:35,820
It was a central cohesive element.
226
00:11:35,820 --> 00:11:38,100
- Pyramids are really
artificial mountains.
227
00:11:38,100 --> 00:11:40,650
They are able to bring to life, you know,
228
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it's not just a mountain,
but it's the mountain
229
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where the ancestors' spirits are living.
230
00:11:45,930 --> 00:11:48,450
That's how you communicate
with your ancestors.
231
00:11:48,450 --> 00:11:51,270
It's about being able to
connect with the community
232
00:11:51,270 --> 00:11:54,540
and the gods, and the
whole ecological order
233
00:11:54,540 --> 00:11:56,787
by building these mountains.
234
00:11:56,787 --> 00:11:58,800
235
00:11:58,800 --> 00:12:00,750
- Teotihuacan
didn't simply want
236
00:12:00,750 --> 00:12:03,450
to rival its powerful neighbors.
237
00:12:03,450 --> 00:12:05,253
It wanted to dominate them.
238
00:12:07,080 --> 00:12:09,480
To that end, builders needed to devise
239
00:12:09,480 --> 00:12:11,520
a city unlike any other,
240
00:12:11,520 --> 00:12:14,986
and make Teotihuacan
the beacon of a new era.
241
00:12:14,986 --> 00:12:17,403
242
00:12:21,157 --> 00:12:23,250
243
00:12:23,250 --> 00:12:25,807
The year was 50 AD.
244
00:12:25,807 --> 00:12:29,250
245
00:12:29,250 --> 00:12:33,390
The future city began to take
shape around an immense road
246
00:12:33,390 --> 00:12:36,930
that was two kilometers
long and 70 meters wide,
247
00:12:36,930 --> 00:12:38,822
the Avenue of the Dead.
248
00:12:38,822 --> 00:12:41,580
249
00:12:41,580 --> 00:12:44,550
This central access then
branched into a network
250
00:12:44,550 --> 00:12:47,643
of perfectly perpendicular
streets and alleyways,
251
00:12:49,320 --> 00:12:52,770
a city grid that foreshadowed
large modern metropolises
252
00:12:52,770 --> 00:12:55,255
like New York City or Beijing.
253
00:12:55,255 --> 00:12:58,672
254
00:12:59,631 --> 00:13:01,290
255
00:13:01,290 --> 00:13:03,000
- It was urban planning
256
00:13:03,000 --> 00:13:05,100
on an unprecedented level,
257
00:13:05,100 --> 00:13:07,170
anywhere in the world.
258
00:13:07,170 --> 00:13:09,930
That's why we consider Teotihuacan
259
00:13:09,930 --> 00:13:13,953
to be the most perfect
example of urban planning.
260
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- They were like Martians.
261
00:13:17,970 --> 00:13:20,550
I mean, they pulled in people
262
00:13:20,550 --> 00:13:25,170
into this highly organized
city on a grid system.
263
00:13:25,170 --> 00:13:27,690
This was like nothing before
264
00:13:27,690 --> 00:13:32,010
that would have required
something like that
265
00:13:32,010 --> 00:13:35,073
to be impressive, to make a statement,
266
00:13:36,180 --> 00:13:37,987
a statement of power.
267
00:13:37,987 --> 00:13:40,570
268
00:13:43,620 --> 00:13:45,360
- A statement of power
269
00:13:45,360 --> 00:13:48,155
illustrated by three sanctuaries.
270
00:13:48,155 --> 00:13:51,510
271
00:13:51,510 --> 00:13:54,687
The first, at a colossal 65 meters high
272
00:13:54,687 --> 00:13:58,833
and 215 meters wide, was
the Pyramid of the Sun.
273
00:13:59,910 --> 00:14:02,850
With a volume of over
one million cubic meters,
274
00:14:02,850 --> 00:14:07,560
it's the biggest pyramid
ever built in Mesoamerica.
275
00:14:07,560 --> 00:14:11,340
- This pyramid was the
megaphone of Teotihuacan.
276
00:14:11,340 --> 00:14:14,040
This is what everybody looked towards.
277
00:14:14,040 --> 00:14:15,600
No matter if you're a farmer
278
00:14:15,600 --> 00:14:17,700
in the hinterlands of Teotihuacan,
279
00:14:17,700 --> 00:14:20,160
you saw the pyramid, you
saw what was going on.
280
00:14:20,160 --> 00:14:21,540
You saw the smoke signal.
281
00:14:21,540 --> 00:14:23,670
It doesn't matter where you live.
282
00:14:23,670 --> 00:14:25,980
You will identify with the Sun Pyramid.
283
00:14:25,980 --> 00:14:29,310
You will be proud to be part of this city,
284
00:14:29,310 --> 00:14:32,910
so magnificent that it
radiates its presence
285
00:14:32,910 --> 00:14:34,413
throughout the whole valley.
286
00:14:35,247 --> 00:14:40,247
287
00:14:41,700 --> 00:14:43,560
- A pyramid, dedicated
288
00:14:43,560 --> 00:14:47,703
to the most sacred star
of Mesoamerica, the sun.
289
00:14:49,010 --> 00:14:51,990
290
00:14:51,990 --> 00:14:54,210
The structure was precisely oriented
291
00:14:54,210 --> 00:14:57,813
15.5 degrees east of astronomical north.
292
00:15:00,090 --> 00:15:02,340
The western wall is perfectly aligned
293
00:15:02,340 --> 00:15:04,590
with the setting sun on August 12th,
294
00:15:04,590 --> 00:15:07,110
which marks the beginning
of the dry season,
295
00:15:07,110 --> 00:15:09,990
and on April 29th, which
marks the beginning
296
00:15:09,990 --> 00:15:11,223
of the rainy season.
297
00:15:13,110 --> 00:15:14,430
- They were sky watchers.
298
00:15:14,430 --> 00:15:16,290
They were scientists and astrologers
299
00:15:16,290 --> 00:15:17,820
that interpreted the sun,
300
00:15:17,820 --> 00:15:21,180
predicted eclipses,
understood the Venus cycle.
301
00:15:21,180 --> 00:15:24,390
And so it's really
incredible to understand
302
00:15:24,390 --> 00:15:27,870
how meaningful this place was.
303
00:15:27,870 --> 00:15:30,930
- The exact, you know,
movement of the stars
304
00:15:30,930 --> 00:15:35,596
and making their time system
and so on, was astrology.
305
00:15:35,596 --> 00:15:37,807
And you know, and some
of these people say,
306
00:15:37,807 --> 00:15:40,170
"Well, they could predict the seasons,
307
00:15:40,170 --> 00:15:41,640
and when to plant."
308
00:15:41,640 --> 00:15:43,650
That's quite ridiculous.
309
00:15:43,650 --> 00:15:45,870
I mean, the farmers knew about this
310
00:15:45,870 --> 00:15:47,370
a lot better than the kings.
311
00:15:47,370 --> 00:15:49,570
And so these things had
a religious meaning.
312
00:15:51,150 --> 00:15:53,460
- A pyramid
connected to the stars,
313
00:15:53,460 --> 00:15:55,845
but also used to keep time.
314
00:15:55,845 --> 00:15:58,140
315
00:15:58,140 --> 00:16:00,870
That's because the Teotihuacanos
designed the building
316
00:16:00,870 --> 00:16:03,453
according to ancient
Mesoamerican calendars,
317
00:16:04,980 --> 00:16:08,310
the haab, comprised of 365 days,
318
00:16:08,310 --> 00:16:10,083
symbolizing the solar cycle,
319
00:16:11,610 --> 00:16:15,360
and the tzolkin, a ritual
calendar of 260 days
320
00:16:15,360 --> 00:16:18,640
divided into 13 months of 20 days each.
321
00:16:18,640 --> 00:16:21,307
322
00:16:23,280 --> 00:16:25,020
A complex calendar system,
323
00:16:25,020 --> 00:16:26,850
which, thanks to a recent discovery,
324
00:16:26,850 --> 00:16:29,340
has also been tied to
the unit of measurement
325
00:16:29,340 --> 00:16:33,774
used by Teotihuacano architects, the TMU,
326
00:16:33,774 --> 00:16:36,630
327
00:16:36,630 --> 00:16:39,030
a standard length of 83 centimeters,
328
00:16:39,030 --> 00:16:40,920
corresponding roughly to the distance
329
00:16:40,920 --> 00:16:44,270
between a human's
fingertips and their heart.
330
00:16:44,270 --> 00:16:46,230
331
00:16:46,230 --> 00:16:48,960
- What's fascinating about
this measurement unit
332
00:16:48,960 --> 00:16:51,360
is that they actually tell us a little bit
333
00:16:51,360 --> 00:16:54,750
about how they were able to materialize
334
00:16:54,750 --> 00:16:56,310
what they saw into the sky,
335
00:16:56,310 --> 00:16:57,960
and how they interpret that
336
00:16:57,960 --> 00:17:00,843
physically into the walls, the rooms.
337
00:17:02,340 --> 00:17:04,950
- Therefore,
the 215-meter width
338
00:17:04,950 --> 00:17:06,360
of the Pyramid of the Sun
339
00:17:06,360 --> 00:17:09,690
corresponds to 260 TMUs,
340
00:17:09,690 --> 00:17:12,827
the exact number of days
on the ritual calendar.
341
00:17:12,827 --> 00:17:15,660
342
00:17:15,660 --> 00:17:19,680
The pyramid was surrounded
by a 34-meter wide platform,
343
00:17:19,680 --> 00:17:22,380
bringing its depth to 431 meters,
344
00:17:22,380 --> 00:17:26,400
or 520 Teotihuacan measurement units,
345
00:17:26,400 --> 00:17:29,103
twice the symbolic number of 260.
346
00:17:30,840 --> 00:17:35,010
- When I say the Teotihuacanos
were ingenious engineers,
347
00:17:35,010 --> 00:17:36,630
I'm not kidding, you know.
348
00:17:36,630 --> 00:17:41,190
They really were able to not
only kind of make it look nice,
349
00:17:41,190 --> 00:17:45,870
it actually really made
you embody the cosmos
350
00:17:45,870 --> 00:17:48,840
by just walking through the city itself.
351
00:17:48,840 --> 00:17:52,620
That's what a better way
to experience Teotihuacan
352
00:17:52,620 --> 00:17:55,230
than embodying their understanding
353
00:17:55,230 --> 00:17:58,996
of the whole world works
through experience.
354
00:17:58,996 --> 00:18:01,996
355
00:18:03,990 --> 00:18:05,640
- But beyond symbolism,
356
00:18:05,640 --> 00:18:07,500
the architects needed to figure out
357
00:18:07,500 --> 00:18:10,609
how to erect such a massive monument.
358
00:18:10,609 --> 00:18:13,410
359
00:18:13,410 --> 00:18:17,095
To do so, they relied
on an unexpected ally,
360
00:18:17,095 --> 00:18:19,320
361
00:18:19,320 --> 00:18:22,050
Popocatepetl, a volcano
362
00:18:22,050 --> 00:18:26,100
located 100 kilometers to
the south of Teotihuacan,
363
00:18:26,100 --> 00:18:28,110
which had been forming the foundation
364
00:18:28,110 --> 00:18:30,723
of the Valley of Mexico
for thousands of years.
365
00:18:32,940 --> 00:18:35,760
An almost inexhaustible
supply of volcanic rock
366
00:18:35,760 --> 00:18:38,040
was extracted by workers from dozens
367
00:18:38,040 --> 00:18:41,214
of underground quarries
all around the city.
368
00:18:41,214 --> 00:18:44,214
369
00:18:45,060 --> 00:18:47,940
- They quarry specifically
this type of basalt,
370
00:18:47,940 --> 00:18:50,006
which is locally called Tezontle,
371
00:18:50,006 --> 00:18:52,590
and this Tezontle has a lot of pores,
372
00:18:52,590 --> 00:18:56,490
so it's really lightweight and
you can shape it very easily.
373
00:18:56,490 --> 00:19:00,270
So it's easier to carry to
you wanna build buildings.
374
00:19:00,270 --> 00:19:04,440
That's why they preferred
this type of rocks,
375
00:19:04,440 --> 00:19:08,130
but they were not
available on the surface.
376
00:19:08,130 --> 00:19:12,240
They had to dig below the tepetate layer.
377
00:19:12,240 --> 00:19:15,690
This is volcanic tough,
and this is very soft,
378
00:19:15,690 --> 00:19:20,690
as you see here, you can
destroy it very easily.
379
00:19:21,090 --> 00:19:26,090
And they crushed tepetate
to make a base of the floor.
380
00:19:26,111 --> 00:19:28,170
381
00:19:28,170 --> 00:19:29,040
- In total,
382
00:19:29,040 --> 00:19:32,730
some 715,000 cubic meters of this rock
383
00:19:32,730 --> 00:19:34,200
was extracted from the earth
384
00:19:34,200 --> 00:19:36,857
to build the entire city of Teotihuacan.
385
00:19:36,857 --> 00:19:39,270
386
00:19:39,270 --> 00:19:41,400
The material was then carried by men
387
00:19:41,400 --> 00:19:44,460
on their backs for hundreds of meters.
388
00:19:44,460 --> 00:19:46,680
That's because pre-Columbian civilizations
389
00:19:46,680 --> 00:19:50,283
never domesticated animals to
help them carry heavy loads.
390
00:19:51,588 --> 00:19:54,806
391
00:19:54,806 --> 00:19:56,310
392
00:19:56,310 --> 00:19:59,160
- They compensated
for the lack of pack animals
393
00:19:59,160 --> 00:20:01,593
with an efficient use of manpower.
394
00:20:02,898 --> 00:20:05,100
The people were the labor force,
395
00:20:05,100 --> 00:20:07,980
and they were very effectively put to work
396
00:20:07,980 --> 00:20:11,940
in a well organized way
in order to be productive.
397
00:20:11,940 --> 00:20:13,500
That's one of the characteristics
398
00:20:13,500 --> 00:20:15,573
of Mesoamerican societies.
399
00:20:16,770 --> 00:20:18,510
- The rulers of the city knew
400
00:20:18,510 --> 00:20:20,643
they had an abundant supply of workers.
401
00:20:21,690 --> 00:20:24,810
The population of Teotihuacan
and its surroundings
402
00:20:24,810 --> 00:20:27,870
was already at 80,000 inhabitants.
403
00:20:27,870 --> 00:20:29,850
Men from each family were selected
404
00:20:29,850 --> 00:20:31,887
to be part of the workforce.
405
00:20:31,887 --> 00:20:34,287
406
00:20:34,287 --> 00:20:36,180
- Religion played
407
00:20:36,180 --> 00:20:38,670
a very important role in controlling
408
00:20:38,670 --> 00:20:40,593
the people and the workforce.
409
00:20:42,780 --> 00:20:46,050
That's something that had
never been seen before.
410
00:20:46,050 --> 00:20:50,760
It's very different from slavery,
capitalism, or feudalism.
411
00:20:50,760 --> 00:20:53,640
Here, you could own tools and land,
412
00:20:53,640 --> 00:20:56,393
but they controlled the
power of your labor.
413
00:20:56,393 --> 00:20:59,393
414
00:21:00,480 --> 00:21:02,100
- During the dry season,
415
00:21:02,100 --> 00:21:05,160
tens of thousands of
builders worked tirelessly
416
00:21:05,160 --> 00:21:07,360
on the enormous
construction of the pyramid.
417
00:21:09,840 --> 00:21:11,280
Such a massive structure
418
00:21:11,280 --> 00:21:12,840
could have very well crumbled
419
00:21:12,840 --> 00:21:13,990
beneath its own weight.
420
00:21:16,110 --> 00:21:17,910
To prevent that from happening,
421
00:21:17,910 --> 00:21:20,703
a mound-shaped wall was
built around the pyramid.
422
00:21:22,800 --> 00:21:24,930
The interior of the
structure was supported
423
00:21:24,930 --> 00:21:27,900
with a grid of cells made of adobe bricks,
424
00:21:27,900 --> 00:21:29,703
a mix of straw and clay.
425
00:21:30,660 --> 00:21:33,363
The holes were then filled
with dirt and rocks,
426
00:21:34,980 --> 00:21:37,740
a process that was
repeated layer after layer
427
00:21:37,740 --> 00:21:39,356
all the way to the top.
428
00:21:39,356 --> 00:21:41,520
429
00:21:41,520 --> 00:21:44,100
This honeycomb structure
allowed the building
430
00:21:44,100 --> 00:21:45,870
to withstand the heavy weight
431
00:21:45,870 --> 00:21:47,583
of the filling within the pyramid.
432
00:21:49,350 --> 00:21:51,930
- Construction cells,
they are not invented
433
00:21:51,930 --> 00:21:53,910
at to Teotihuacan, but in Puebla.
434
00:21:53,910 --> 00:21:56,040
And the reason why that technique
435
00:21:56,040 --> 00:21:58,890
was developed or invented is unknown.
436
00:21:58,890 --> 00:22:02,850
But I suspect that around 50 to 70,
437
00:22:02,850 --> 00:22:07,110
there was a huge organic
eruption of Popocatepetl.
438
00:22:07,110 --> 00:22:09,803
And I assumed there was huge earthquake
439
00:22:11,040 --> 00:22:14,040
and it is possible that many
structures were destroyed.
440
00:22:14,040 --> 00:22:17,070
Then those people possibly experimented
441
00:22:17,070 --> 00:22:18,540
using different techniques.
442
00:22:18,540 --> 00:22:20,910
And then finally invented
443
00:22:20,910 --> 00:22:23,130
the technique of construction cells.
444
00:22:23,130 --> 00:22:26,010
So, to keep those pyramids stable,
445
00:22:26,010 --> 00:22:30,770
Teotihuacan people emulated
or imitated those techniques.
446
00:22:30,770 --> 00:22:33,330
447
00:22:33,330 --> 00:22:34,860
- The Pyramid of the Sun
448
00:22:34,860 --> 00:22:38,868
is the muddiest structure
ever built by manpower alone.
449
00:22:38,868 --> 00:22:41,340
450
00:22:41,340 --> 00:22:44,733
How long did it take the
Teotihuacano people to build it?
451
00:22:45,960 --> 00:22:47,591
No one really knows.
452
00:22:47,591 --> 00:22:49,860
453
00:22:49,860 --> 00:22:52,390
Although many archeologists
share similar beliefs
454
00:22:52,390 --> 00:22:55,380
about the answer, a recent experiment
455
00:22:55,380 --> 00:22:57,513
has shed new light on the conversation,
456
00:22:59,070 --> 00:23:01,230
the construction of a miniature temple
457
00:23:01,230 --> 00:23:03,963
using the same tools and
materials from back then.
458
00:23:05,100 --> 00:23:07,140
- We completed the whole process
459
00:23:07,140 --> 00:23:09,810
in two weeks with four workers.
460
00:23:09,810 --> 00:23:11,430
And the most intriguing thing
461
00:23:11,430 --> 00:23:13,530
I learned through this process
462
00:23:13,530 --> 00:23:18,030
is that we try to keep the walls flat,
463
00:23:18,030 --> 00:23:21,030
but actually, we failed.
464
00:23:21,030 --> 00:23:22,920
It was not possible for us.
465
00:23:22,920 --> 00:23:26,640
I still do not understand how
Teotihuacan people did it,
466
00:23:26,640 --> 00:23:28,920
especially for large buildings.
467
00:23:28,920 --> 00:23:31,800
So, based on our experiments, I calculated
468
00:23:31,800 --> 00:23:34,860
the time necessary to
complete the Sun Pyramid.
469
00:23:34,860 --> 00:23:37,590
And I think it took less than 10 years,
470
00:23:37,590 --> 00:23:40,560
and possibly around six years,
471
00:23:40,560 --> 00:23:43,833
which is much less time
than previously thought.
472
00:23:45,540 --> 00:23:47,670
- An achievement
that continues to impress
473
00:23:47,670 --> 00:23:51,033
and puzzle archeologists
some 2,000 years later.
474
00:23:52,860 --> 00:23:55,920
How could the same people
who built such structures
475
00:23:55,920 --> 00:23:58,620
disappear without leaving behind any clues
476
00:23:58,620 --> 00:23:59,733
about their identity?
477
00:24:03,364 --> 00:24:08,280
478
00:24:08,280 --> 00:24:10,320
South of the Avenue of the Dead,
479
00:24:10,320 --> 00:24:12,780
beneath the Pyramid of
the Feathered Serpent,
480
00:24:12,780 --> 00:24:16,440
is the second main
sanctuary in Teotihuacan.
481
00:24:16,440 --> 00:24:18,360
15 meters below the surface,
482
00:24:18,360 --> 00:24:21,630
a mysterious tunnel that
was discovered in 2003
483
00:24:21,630 --> 00:24:23,748
could unravel the mystery.
484
00:24:23,748 --> 00:24:25,950
485
00:24:25,950 --> 00:24:28,860
Entirely carved out
with rudimentary tools,
486
00:24:28,860 --> 00:24:32,520
this manmade cavity is covered
in a thin layer of mud,
487
00:24:32,520 --> 00:24:35,669
and follows an east to west orientation.
488
00:24:35,669 --> 00:24:38,310
489
00:24:38,310 --> 00:24:41,103
The tunnel stretches over 102 meters.
490
00:24:43,200 --> 00:24:45,090
15 meters from the entrance,
491
00:24:45,090 --> 00:24:48,840
a series of 23 walls,
each one meter thick,
492
00:24:48,840 --> 00:24:51,225
were built to block
access into the tunnel.
493
00:24:51,225 --> 00:24:52,170
494
00:24:52,170 --> 00:24:55,500
- The tunnel was
sealed three separate times
495
00:24:55,500 --> 00:24:58,593
with walls that go from
the floor to the ceiling.
496
00:25:00,420 --> 00:25:04,350
Then they would destroy the
walls to get inside again.
497
00:25:04,350 --> 00:25:06,750
But we don't know for what purpose.
498
00:25:06,750 --> 00:25:09,150
And then they'd rebuild new walls
499
00:25:09,150 --> 00:25:12,000
on top of the remains of the old walls.
500
00:25:12,000 --> 00:25:14,640
Later, they came back,
but for some reason,
501
00:25:14,640 --> 00:25:17,430
they left without rebuilding the walls.
502
00:25:17,430 --> 00:25:21,273
Instead, they filled the tunnel
with lots of dirt and rocks.
503
00:25:23,610 --> 00:25:26,370
My theory is that for a period of time,
504
00:25:26,370 --> 00:25:29,460
the end of the tunnel was
used to store the remains
505
00:25:29,460 --> 00:25:33,060
of someone specific,
someone with a lot of power,
506
00:25:33,060 --> 00:25:37,000
most likely a first era
leader of Teotihuacan.
507
00:25:37,000 --> 00:25:40,650
508
00:25:40,650 --> 00:25:41,550
- Could this tunnel
509
00:25:41,550 --> 00:25:44,103
have been the tomb of
the Teotihuacan kings?
510
00:25:47,010 --> 00:25:49,320
For the first time, archeologists seem
511
00:25:49,320 --> 00:25:51,847
to be close to solving the puzzle.
512
00:25:51,847 --> 00:25:53,640
513
00:25:53,640 --> 00:25:55,500
At the end of the first section,
514
00:25:55,500 --> 00:25:57,780
which is 65 meters long,
515
00:25:57,780 --> 00:26:00,665
the narrow tunnel suddenly drops.
516
00:26:00,665 --> 00:26:03,420
517
00:26:03,420 --> 00:26:05,880
- The majority
of the tunnel's first section
518
00:26:05,880 --> 00:26:09,180
was dug about 15 meters below the surface.
519
00:26:09,180 --> 00:26:11,160
And this here is deeper.
520
00:26:11,160 --> 00:26:13,560
It goes down to 17 meters.
521
00:26:13,560 --> 00:26:14,880
I think this whole section
522
00:26:14,880 --> 00:26:16,410
must have been how they accessed
523
00:26:16,410 --> 00:26:18,960
what we believe to be the most sacred
524
00:26:18,960 --> 00:26:21,750
and important spot of the entire tunnel.
525
00:26:21,750 --> 00:26:24,360
I believe it's the
gateway to the real world,
526
00:26:24,360 --> 00:26:26,979
the truth, and the real underworld.
527
00:26:26,979 --> 00:26:30,450
528
00:26:30,450 --> 00:26:32,520
- An intriguing
sparkle in the rock
529
00:26:32,520 --> 00:26:33,693
attracts the eye,
530
00:26:35,400 --> 00:26:37,923
a phenomenon that's far from natural.
531
00:26:38,998 --> 00:26:39,900
532
00:26:39,900 --> 00:26:42,030
- The entire
tunnel must have been covered
533
00:26:42,030 --> 00:26:44,490
with this sparkling mineral powder.
534
00:26:44,490 --> 00:26:46,350
It's made of three minerals:
535
00:26:46,350 --> 00:26:49,500
pyrite, hematite and magnetite,
536
00:26:49,500 --> 00:26:51,480
which were brought here from far away
537
00:26:51,480 --> 00:26:54,180
and painted on these walls, the ceiling,
538
00:26:54,180 --> 00:26:55,740
and even the floor of the tunnel.
539
00:26:55,740 --> 00:26:58,410
It must have been an extremely important
540
00:26:58,410 --> 00:27:02,460
religious experience to
enter here in total darkness,
541
00:27:02,460 --> 00:27:05,130
with only the light from your torch.
542
00:27:05,130 --> 00:27:07,590
As the flame flickered,
it must have looked like
543
00:27:07,590 --> 00:27:10,323
the sky and the stars of the underworld.
544
00:27:12,178 --> 00:27:15,428
545
00:27:16,350 --> 00:27:18,660
- At the end of the tunnel,
546
00:27:18,660 --> 00:27:23,043
three chambers facing east,
south, and north form a cross,
547
00:27:24,960 --> 00:27:27,420
the center of which is perfectly aligned
548
00:27:27,420 --> 00:27:29,127
with the peak of the pyramid.
549
00:27:29,127 --> 00:27:31,290
550
00:27:31,290 --> 00:27:33,360
This imaginary vertical access
551
00:27:33,360 --> 00:27:36,143
is called the axis mundi.
552
00:27:36,143 --> 00:27:37,140
553
00:27:37,140 --> 00:27:39,240
- There's
a symbolic conduit here
554
00:27:39,240 --> 00:27:42,360
that connects all three
levels of the cosmos.
555
00:27:42,360 --> 00:27:46,650
The entire world rotates
around this vertical axis.
556
00:27:46,650 --> 00:27:50,190
What continues to amaze us
is how the Teotihuacanos,
557
00:27:50,190 --> 00:27:53,220
this deep, were able
to precisely calculate
558
00:27:53,220 --> 00:27:55,560
how to perfectly align this point
559
00:27:55,560 --> 00:27:59,168
with the summit of the Pyramid
of the Feathered Serpent.
560
00:27:59,168 --> 00:28:01,230
561
00:28:01,230 --> 00:28:04,230
- Although no
tomb was discovered here,
562
00:28:04,230 --> 00:28:07,443
archeologists did make
another incredible discovery:
563
00:28:08,580 --> 00:28:12,153
four stone statues representing
three women and a man,
564
00:28:13,110 --> 00:28:15,225
all facing the axis mundi.
565
00:28:15,225 --> 00:28:18,642
566
00:28:20,283 --> 00:28:21,300
567
00:28:21,300 --> 00:28:22,680
- We discovered the remains
568
00:28:22,680 --> 00:28:26,670
of another sculpture, much
larger than the four others.
569
00:28:26,670 --> 00:28:29,760
It appears to have been a male figure.
570
00:28:29,760 --> 00:28:31,770
It was naked like the others,
571
00:28:31,770 --> 00:28:34,770
but all we found at this spot was a foot,
572
00:28:34,770 --> 00:28:38,250
and 100 meters farther, a leg.
573
00:28:38,250 --> 00:28:41,100
We believe that means that
when the Teotihuacanos
574
00:28:41,100 --> 00:28:44,430
came into this place,
likely to desacralize
575
00:28:44,430 --> 00:28:46,830
the tomb of the man who was buried here,
576
00:28:46,830 --> 00:28:49,170
they also destroyed the sculpture,
577
00:28:49,170 --> 00:28:51,540
which likely represented him.
578
00:28:51,540 --> 00:28:55,110
From what we know, the
Teotihuacanos were iconoclastic.
579
00:28:55,110 --> 00:28:57,030
They destroyed the symbols of power
580
00:28:57,030 --> 00:29:00,402
associated with a person
at the time of their death.
581
00:29:00,402 --> 00:29:03,390
582
00:29:03,390 --> 00:29:06,390
- Sacred rituals
must have been carried out here,
583
00:29:10,050 --> 00:29:13,563
rituals like this king's
ceremonial burial,
584
00:29:15,510 --> 00:29:19,323
a man whose influence spanned
far beyond the city's borders.
585
00:29:21,060 --> 00:29:22,110
586
00:29:22,110 --> 00:29:24,720
- When the
funeral ceremony took place,
587
00:29:24,720 --> 00:29:28,263
the entire Mesoamerican world sent gifts,
588
00:29:29,100 --> 00:29:32,553
presents to accompany the dead
king that was buried here.
589
00:29:33,450 --> 00:29:35,970
It must have been a very important event
590
00:29:35,970 --> 00:29:39,785
that affected the entire
Mesoamerican world.
591
00:29:39,785 --> 00:29:42,452
592
00:29:43,287 --> 00:29:44,700
- Although
the name of this king
593
00:29:44,700 --> 00:29:46,650
has forever been forgotten,
594
00:29:46,650 --> 00:29:49,800
the tens of thousands of
offerings left in the tunnel
595
00:29:49,800 --> 00:29:51,810
could provide important insights
596
00:29:51,810 --> 00:29:54,522
into the Teotihuacan civilization.
597
00:29:54,522 --> 00:29:56,820
598
00:29:56,820 --> 00:29:59,643
They include objects
made of jade or amber,
599
00:30:01,890 --> 00:30:04,350
as well as finely carved shells,
600
00:30:04,350 --> 00:30:06,780
many of which share something in common.
601
00:30:06,780 --> 00:30:09,199
They're all from Maya civilization.
602
00:30:09,199 --> 00:30:11,199
603
00:30:11,199 --> 00:30:12,300
604
00:30:12,300 --> 00:30:13,650
- There is nothing specific
605
00:30:13,650 --> 00:30:15,930
to Teotihuacan here.
606
00:30:15,930 --> 00:30:18,780
Everything is 100% Maya.
607
00:30:18,780 --> 00:30:20,460
We've been able to decode them,
608
00:30:20,460 --> 00:30:23,910
thanks to similar artifacts
found on Maya sites
609
00:30:23,910 --> 00:30:26,751
that are much older than Teotihuacan.
610
00:30:26,751 --> 00:30:29,010
This glyph is very important.
611
00:30:29,010 --> 00:30:32,193
It means ahau, and ahau means king.
612
00:30:33,330 --> 00:30:34,920
It's most likely connected
613
00:30:34,920 --> 00:30:37,503
to the structure of power in Teotihuacan.
614
00:30:39,270 --> 00:30:42,750
That's why I think that the
Mayas greatly contributed
615
00:30:42,750 --> 00:30:47,100
to the creation of the
ideology, the magical thinking,
616
00:30:47,100 --> 00:30:49,983
and the religious identity of Teotihuacan.
617
00:30:51,167 --> 00:30:54,330
The Teotihuacanos didn't create any myths.
618
00:30:54,330 --> 00:30:57,630
They just borrowed the
myths of the ancient Mayas,
619
00:30:57,630 --> 00:30:59,640
and then they presented themselves
620
00:30:59,640 --> 00:31:02,970
as the creators and the
masters of the world.
621
00:31:02,970 --> 00:31:06,633
But in reality, all the
origins of this is Maya.
622
00:31:07,676 --> 00:31:10,676
623
00:31:12,930 --> 00:31:14,080
- The Mayas,
624
00:31:15,730 --> 00:31:16,920
625
00:31:16,920 --> 00:31:19,860
a people long considered to be pacifistic,
626
00:31:19,860 --> 00:31:22,713
but who also practiced human sacrifice.
627
00:31:24,000 --> 00:31:27,180
Was the Teotihuacanos'
insatiable thirst for blood
628
00:31:27,180 --> 00:31:28,563
inspired by the Mayas?
629
00:31:30,233 --> 00:31:32,070
630
00:31:32,070 --> 00:31:33,660
One thing is certain.
631
00:31:33,660 --> 00:31:36,150
This pyramid, the last
structure that completed
632
00:31:36,150 --> 00:31:38,010
the historical heart of the city,
633
00:31:38,010 --> 00:31:41,373
saw more bloody ceremonies
than any other edifice.
634
00:31:45,111 --> 00:31:47,010
635
00:31:47,010 --> 00:31:48,480
- Located at the far north
636
00:31:48,480 --> 00:31:49,780
of the Avenue of the Dead,
637
00:31:51,720 --> 00:31:55,530
surrounded by 14 other pyramid structures,
638
00:31:55,530 --> 00:31:59,070
lies the city's third
key religious sanctuary,
639
00:31:59,070 --> 00:32:01,350
the Pyramid of the Moon.
640
00:32:01,350 --> 00:32:04,860
46 meters high, 149 meters wide,
641
00:32:04,860 --> 00:32:08,700
and 168 meters deep, it is
built on multiple levels
642
00:32:08,700 --> 00:32:11,043
connected by monumental staircases.
643
00:32:13,350 --> 00:32:14,940
It has been heavily explored
644
00:32:14,940 --> 00:32:17,640
since the first Central
American expeditions,
645
00:32:17,640 --> 00:32:21,000
and 345 meters of tunnels
have been dug here
646
00:32:21,000 --> 00:32:23,133
in hopes of unraveling its secrets.
647
00:32:25,110 --> 00:32:28,483
The excavations revealed
incredible discoveries.
648
00:32:30,090 --> 00:32:33,420
- The Moon Pyramid was constructed
over a sequence of time.
649
00:32:33,420 --> 00:32:37,470
So imagine an onion, it started
off as a small dirt mound,
650
00:32:37,470 --> 00:32:39,750
and then they built over and over
651
00:32:39,750 --> 00:32:41,760
until it become larger and larger.
652
00:32:41,760 --> 00:32:44,490
And so we know from
doing tunnel excavations
653
00:32:44,490 --> 00:32:46,170
at the core of the pyramid,
654
00:32:46,170 --> 00:32:48,303
that there were seven building phases.
655
00:32:49,230 --> 00:32:50,370
- The first pyramid,
656
00:32:50,370 --> 00:32:52,650
which is only 23 meters wide,
657
00:32:52,650 --> 00:32:55,260
was designed to support the second,
658
00:32:55,260 --> 00:32:58,020
and the second supported the third.
659
00:32:58,020 --> 00:33:00,330
This system allowed to limit the amount
660
00:33:00,330 --> 00:33:02,433
of backfill needed for each step.
661
00:33:03,690 --> 00:33:06,000
In total, seven pyramids were built
662
00:33:06,000 --> 00:33:08,220
over three centuries at the northern limit
663
00:33:08,220 --> 00:33:10,001
of the Avenue of the Dead.
664
00:33:10,001 --> 00:33:11,880
665
00:33:11,880 --> 00:33:14,850
- One of the most important
kind of dimensions of the city
666
00:33:14,850 --> 00:33:17,790
was the front of the Moon Pyramid itself.
667
00:33:17,790 --> 00:33:19,920
It always had to start from that point
668
00:33:19,920 --> 00:33:22,110
because this point to, for example,
669
00:33:22,110 --> 00:33:24,270
the end of the Avenue of the dead
670
00:33:24,270 --> 00:33:27,390
was a certain number of measurement units.
671
00:33:27,390 --> 00:33:29,070
And so that's why they decided
672
00:33:29,070 --> 00:33:30,750
that they always have to have the pyramid
673
00:33:30,750 --> 00:33:32,690
start from this section.
674
00:33:32,690 --> 00:33:36,450
675
00:33:36,450 --> 00:33:37,770
- The Avenue of the Dead
676
00:33:37,770 --> 00:33:41,760
is 2,156 meters in
length, which corresponds
677
00:33:41,760 --> 00:33:45,990
to 2,600 Teotihuacan measurement units,
678
00:33:45,990 --> 00:33:49,843
meaning 10 times the number of
days on the ritual calendar.
679
00:33:49,843 --> 00:33:52,440
680
00:33:52,440 --> 00:33:54,480
Striving to preserve the exact length
681
00:33:54,480 --> 00:33:55,980
of the Avenue of the Dead,
682
00:33:55,980 --> 00:33:58,380
the Teotihuacanos gave
the Pyramid of the Moon
683
00:33:58,380 --> 00:34:00,093
a very particular shape.
684
00:34:01,590 --> 00:34:05,670
- Originally, it was kind of
bound that grew three times.
685
00:34:05,670 --> 00:34:08,310
When they build the fourth
construction pyramid,
686
00:34:08,310 --> 00:34:10,320
it becomes much larger.
687
00:34:10,320 --> 00:34:13,110
It becomes what we know as
a monumental scale, right?
688
00:34:13,110 --> 00:34:15,810
So when they decided to
add an adosada structure,
689
00:34:15,810 --> 00:34:18,180
that's an annexed platform on top
690
00:34:18,180 --> 00:34:20,430
of the main body of the pyramid,
691
00:34:20,430 --> 00:34:24,360
they decide to cut the
edges of the smaller mound
692
00:34:24,360 --> 00:34:27,750
and then build another
main pyramid behind it,
693
00:34:27,750 --> 00:34:30,120
because that front had to be maintained.
694
00:34:30,120 --> 00:34:33,920
So they're building over from
the front, into the back.
695
00:34:33,920 --> 00:34:36,229
696
00:34:36,229 --> 00:34:38,550
- An important
religious symbol,
697
00:34:38,550 --> 00:34:41,610
the Pyramid of the Moon
was key to the strategy
698
00:34:41,610 --> 00:34:46,080
adopted by the leaders of
Teotihuacan to make this city
699
00:34:46,080 --> 00:34:49,453
the most popular site of
pilgrimage in Mesoamerica.
700
00:34:50,727 --> 00:34:51,560
701
00:34:51,560 --> 00:34:53,160
- You could
consider Teotihuacan
702
00:34:53,160 --> 00:34:55,590
the great Mecca of Mesoamerica.
703
00:34:55,590 --> 00:34:57,450
That's why we think this large street,
704
00:34:57,450 --> 00:35:00,780
the Avenue of the Dead,
which is over 70 meters wide,
705
00:35:00,780 --> 00:35:02,940
was designed to receive
thousands of people
706
00:35:02,940 --> 00:35:04,803
from all over Central America.
707
00:35:05,790 --> 00:35:08,250
- You could imagine that
on certain locations,
708
00:35:08,250 --> 00:35:10,200
you would have parades where people
709
00:35:10,200 --> 00:35:12,390
will be looking onto the avenue,
710
00:35:12,390 --> 00:35:16,410
all of the people walking
into the dedicatory space,
711
00:35:16,410 --> 00:35:19,860
the conch shells, you could
hear them in the background,
712
00:35:19,860 --> 00:35:22,320
but also the screeches and the roars
713
00:35:22,320 --> 00:35:24,180
of the pumas and the eagles.
714
00:35:24,180 --> 00:35:25,560
- And this would blow them away.
715
00:35:25,560 --> 00:35:27,180
I mean, all those things painted now,
716
00:35:27,180 --> 00:35:30,180
and they would go back and be impressed
717
00:35:30,180 --> 00:35:34,738
and take some, you know,
Teotihuacan influences with them.
718
00:35:34,738 --> 00:35:38,070
719
00:35:38,070 --> 00:35:39,750
- These
pilgrims spread the word
720
00:35:39,750 --> 00:35:43,442
of Teotihuacan's grandeur
across all of Mesoamerica.
721
00:35:43,442 --> 00:35:46,860
722
00:35:46,860 --> 00:35:48,510
Thousands of them journeyed here
723
00:35:48,510 --> 00:35:50,760
to partake in lavish ceremonies
724
00:35:50,760 --> 00:35:53,700
that marked the start
and end of each phase
725
00:35:53,700 --> 00:35:56,050
in the construction of
the Pyramid of the Moon,
726
00:36:00,120 --> 00:36:03,930
rituals during which
jaguars, pumas, eagles,
727
00:36:03,930 --> 00:36:06,063
or even humans were sacrificed.
728
00:36:08,430 --> 00:36:11,130
The great priest would
finish off his victims
729
00:36:11,130 --> 00:36:13,298
by ripping out their hearts.
730
00:36:13,298 --> 00:36:16,800
731
00:36:16,800 --> 00:36:20,310
The corpses were then buried
in one of six burial chambers
732
00:36:20,310 --> 00:36:23,760
within the pyramid's filling,
all precisely aligned
733
00:36:23,760 --> 00:36:25,899
along a north-south axis.
734
00:36:25,899 --> 00:36:28,566
735
00:36:29,430 --> 00:36:30,900
- The way that they are arranged
736
00:36:30,900 --> 00:36:32,940
within the dedicatory space
737
00:36:32,940 --> 00:36:35,820
is very important, both its orientation,
738
00:36:35,820 --> 00:36:37,590
but also the quantity.
739
00:36:37,590 --> 00:36:40,110
Certain numbers keep reappearing,
740
00:36:40,110 --> 00:36:42,840
for example, certain calendric numbers,
741
00:36:42,840 --> 00:36:45,030
like the number of days, months of years,
742
00:36:45,030 --> 00:36:48,150
the number 18 comes up significantly.
743
00:36:48,150 --> 00:36:49,890
It's the number of golden eagles
744
00:36:49,890 --> 00:36:52,200
that were sacrificed in burial six.
745
00:36:52,200 --> 00:36:55,740
Half of this number, nine
were sacrificed in burial two.
746
00:36:55,740 --> 00:37:00,330
I think so far, everything about
Teotihuacan is intentional.
747
00:37:00,330 --> 00:37:03,330
It's just incredible to think about
748
00:37:03,330 --> 00:37:07,320
how they were able to conceive
of such a master plan,
749
00:37:07,320 --> 00:37:10,758
and not only think about
it, but execute it.
750
00:37:10,758 --> 00:37:12,120
751
00:37:12,120 --> 00:37:13,860
- It was
these three sanctuaries
752
00:37:13,860 --> 00:37:17,070
that made Teotihuacan the most
important religious center
753
00:37:17,070 --> 00:37:18,783
in all of Mesoamerica,
754
00:37:20,130 --> 00:37:22,920
and yet barely two
centuries after its rise,
755
00:37:22,920 --> 00:37:25,744
this city underwent a new revolution.
756
00:37:25,744 --> 00:37:29,161
757
00:37:31,823 --> 00:37:35,730
758
00:37:35,730 --> 00:37:40,730
In 200 AD, Teotihuacan counted
over 150,000 inhabitants,
759
00:37:41,340 --> 00:37:44,885
making it the most populated
city in Mesoamerica.
760
00:37:44,885 --> 00:37:48,302
761
00:37:50,520 --> 00:37:52,770
On either side of the Avenue of the Dead
762
00:37:52,770 --> 00:37:55,500
and its lavish temples,
entire neighborhoods
763
00:37:55,500 --> 00:37:57,510
sprang from the earth.
764
00:37:57,510 --> 00:38:00,900
These residential complexes,
much like the great pyramids,
765
00:38:00,900 --> 00:38:04,265
were subject to very strict
rules of construction.
766
00:38:04,265 --> 00:38:07,682
767
00:38:08,948 --> 00:38:10,050
768
00:38:10,050 --> 00:38:11,880
- The entire
city was built around
769
00:38:11,880 --> 00:38:14,940
the cosmo vision of Teotihuacan,
770
00:38:14,940 --> 00:38:19,940
the four cardinal points,
north, east, west, south,
771
00:38:20,550 --> 00:38:24,153
and also in relation to the
sun's position on certain dates.
772
00:38:25,110 --> 00:38:27,810
The first city was
oriented 11 degrees east
773
00:38:27,810 --> 00:38:29,133
of the magnetic north.
774
00:38:30,630 --> 00:38:34,170
And when I say city, I don't
mean only the main road,
775
00:38:34,170 --> 00:38:36,543
the Avenue of the Dead and its temples.
776
00:38:37,920 --> 00:38:39,810
I also mean all of the structures,
777
00:38:39,810 --> 00:38:42,054
all of the walls, the entire city.
778
00:38:42,054 --> 00:38:43,830
779
00:38:43,830 --> 00:38:45,660
- Tens of
thousands of dwellings
780
00:38:45,660 --> 00:38:47,910
that the new king wanted to tear down,
781
00:38:47,910 --> 00:38:50,610
as the ruler wanted to
impose a radical change
782
00:38:50,610 --> 00:38:53,437
to the city's interpretation of cosmogony.
783
00:38:53,437 --> 00:38:56,104
784
00:38:57,780 --> 00:39:02,583
Reorient the city 15.5 degrees
east of magnetic north,
785
00:39:04,710 --> 00:39:07,620
a change that would lead
to a large part of the city
786
00:39:07,620 --> 00:39:10,563
being destroyed and rebuilt
to fit the new layout.
787
00:39:11,782 --> 00:39:14,449
788
00:39:15,420 --> 00:39:18,780
- It was insane,
as insane as destroying Paris,
789
00:39:18,780 --> 00:39:22,380
Rome, or New York City, simply
to reposition everything
790
00:39:22,380 --> 00:39:25,650
by three degrees, which
isn't even noticeable.
791
00:39:25,650 --> 00:39:29,160
- This is a tremendous amount
of planning, engineering,
792
00:39:29,160 --> 00:39:30,960
and infrastructure to get it right.
793
00:39:30,960 --> 00:39:33,990
Remember, they didn't have the
total stations we have today
794
00:39:33,990 --> 00:39:37,290
to make sure that alignment
is completely accurate.
795
00:39:37,290 --> 00:39:40,380
And the people residing in these locations
796
00:39:40,380 --> 00:39:42,000
didn't just squat down.
797
00:39:42,000 --> 00:39:44,070
And so it's amazing to think about
798
00:39:44,070 --> 00:39:46,860
as far as what it took to convince
799
00:39:46,860 --> 00:39:50,550
the already settled people to reorient,
800
00:39:50,550 --> 00:39:52,800
because it's not just
reorienting a building,
801
00:39:52,800 --> 00:39:55,020
it's reorienting the way that you walk,
802
00:39:55,020 --> 00:39:57,390
the way that you have access in and out
803
00:39:57,390 --> 00:39:59,670
to the city center and in, right,
804
00:39:59,670 --> 00:40:01,050
getting your way to the marketplace.
805
00:40:01,050 --> 00:40:04,382
It orients your daily life
in a very fundamental way.
806
00:40:04,382 --> 00:40:07,049
807
00:40:08,430 --> 00:40:10,140
- How could one king,
808
00:40:10,140 --> 00:40:12,300
as powerful as he may have been,
809
00:40:12,300 --> 00:40:15,033
impose such a radical
change upon his people?
810
00:40:16,380 --> 00:40:18,630
The answer lies perhaps
within the structure
811
00:40:18,630 --> 00:40:22,126
of the living quarters itself,
an iconic part of the city.
812
00:40:22,126 --> 00:40:25,543
813
00:40:27,300 --> 00:40:30,660
Surrounded by a perimeter
wall that limited access,
814
00:40:30,660 --> 00:40:35,520
each complex included living
spaces, storehouses, workshops,
815
00:40:35,520 --> 00:40:38,463
and most importantly, a
courtyard with an altar,
816
00:40:39,570 --> 00:40:42,090
a central element controlled by the priest
817
00:40:42,090 --> 00:40:44,455
where domestic religion was practiced.
818
00:40:44,455 --> 00:40:46,970
819
00:40:46,970 --> 00:40:48,360
820
00:40:48,360 --> 00:40:50,010
- The priest
controlled the production
821
00:40:50,010 --> 00:40:53,190
of all objects made in this space.
822
00:40:53,190 --> 00:40:55,203
They distributed the raw materials,
823
00:40:56,160 --> 00:40:58,830
and collected many of
the finished products,
824
00:40:58,830 --> 00:41:01,030
which then they offered
to the city's elite.
825
00:41:04,320 --> 00:41:07,443
The weight of the local religion
was felt on every level.
826
00:41:08,910 --> 00:41:10,233
It was everywhere,
827
00:41:11,430 --> 00:41:15,303
whether you were at home
or in the biggest temples.
828
00:41:16,830 --> 00:41:18,270
It was one of the ways that the elite
829
00:41:18,270 --> 00:41:20,253
controlled the broader population.
830
00:41:21,185 --> 00:41:23,550
831
00:41:23,550 --> 00:41:24,900
- Like the great pyramids,
832
00:41:24,900 --> 00:41:27,390
the entire city was painted in red pigment
833
00:41:27,390 --> 00:41:30,084
extracted from a stone, hematite.
834
00:41:30,084 --> 00:41:33,150
835
00:41:33,150 --> 00:41:35,793
In the luxury dwellings
reserved for the elite,
836
00:41:37,410 --> 00:41:40,530
walls were decorated with
ornate frescoes of scenes
837
00:41:40,530 --> 00:41:42,393
strictly controlled by the state.
838
00:41:43,468 --> 00:41:46,135
839
00:41:47,886 --> 00:41:49,950
840
00:41:49,950 --> 00:41:52,920
- The principal
theme was this mountain.
841
00:41:52,920 --> 00:41:56,523
It's an illusion to the
Tlaloc, the god of the rain,
842
00:41:57,360 --> 00:41:59,763
the most important god in Teotihuacan.
843
00:42:02,310 --> 00:42:04,140
For example, in this part,
844
00:42:04,140 --> 00:42:07,143
we see what appears to be
a depiction of a sacrifice.
845
00:42:08,310 --> 00:42:11,093
There are also decapitated heads.
846
00:42:11,093 --> 00:42:13,710
847
00:42:13,710 --> 00:42:15,330
It's obvious that this is more than
848
00:42:15,330 --> 00:42:17,730
a simple decorative painting.
849
00:42:17,730 --> 00:42:19,650
It is also a clear representation
850
00:42:19,650 --> 00:42:22,053
of the Teotihuacano cosmo vision.
851
00:42:23,100 --> 00:42:25,260
One of the ways they controlled the people
852
00:42:25,260 --> 00:42:28,143
was by conveying the
state's messages in stone.
853
00:42:29,886 --> 00:42:34,440
854
00:42:34,440 --> 00:42:36,150
- 2,200 living quarters
855
00:42:36,150 --> 00:42:38,940
spread across 23 square kilometers
856
00:42:38,940 --> 00:42:41,973
and overtook land that had
once been used for farming.
857
00:42:43,250 --> 00:42:46,560
858
00:42:46,560 --> 00:42:48,330
To continue to grow their city,
859
00:42:48,330 --> 00:42:50,040
the leaders of Teotihuacan made
860
00:42:50,040 --> 00:42:52,413
what could be considered
a surprising decision.
861
00:42:53,552 --> 00:42:54,510
862
00:42:54,510 --> 00:42:56,970
- Around 150 AD,
863
00:42:56,970 --> 00:42:59,610
they closed all of the hydraulics,
864
00:42:59,610 --> 00:43:01,920
which required great effort,
865
00:43:01,920 --> 00:43:04,353
and they stopped
cultivating their own food.
866
00:43:06,450 --> 00:43:09,393
Why would Teotihuacan stop
its own food production?
867
00:43:10,260 --> 00:43:14,130
The Teotihuacan valley
is actually very small.
868
00:43:14,130 --> 00:43:17,700
So even if they had dedicated
all the available land
869
00:43:17,700 --> 00:43:21,120
to agriculture, that still
wouldn't have been enough
870
00:43:21,120 --> 00:43:25,170
to feed a population
greater than 30,000 people,
871
00:43:25,170 --> 00:43:27,900
but there were 200,000 men and women
872
00:43:27,900 --> 00:43:30,540
living in Teotihuacan, which means
873
00:43:30,540 --> 00:43:34,761
that most of the food consumed
in the city was imported.
874
00:43:34,761 --> 00:43:38,190
875
00:43:38,190 --> 00:43:39,870
- A dependence
that could become
876
00:43:39,870 --> 00:43:41,840
the city's Achilles's heel.
877
00:43:41,840 --> 00:43:44,070
878
00:43:44,070 --> 00:43:46,740
The Teotihuacanos made a very risky bet
879
00:43:46,740 --> 00:43:48,960
and decided to make the city the largest
880
00:43:48,960 --> 00:43:52,038
artisanal production
center in Mesoamerica.
881
00:43:52,038 --> 00:43:54,870
882
00:43:54,870 --> 00:43:57,180
To that end, they shifted their focus
883
00:43:57,180 --> 00:43:58,620
to a strategic resource
884
00:43:58,620 --> 00:44:02,906
that was widely available
in the valley: obsidian,
885
00:44:02,906 --> 00:44:06,156
886
00:44:07,568 --> 00:44:08,401
the volcanic rock with
exceptional physical properties.
887
00:44:10,974 --> 00:44:13,699
888
00:44:13,699 --> 00:44:14,660
889
00:44:14,660 --> 00:44:16,740
- Obsidian
obsidian is a volcanic rock
890
00:44:16,740 --> 00:44:19,050
with very sharp edges.
891
00:44:19,050 --> 00:44:21,060
It was the only material they could use
892
00:44:21,060 --> 00:44:24,900
to make blades for sacrifices or weapons.
893
00:44:24,900 --> 00:44:27,720
We believe there were
numerous workshops in the city
894
00:44:27,720 --> 00:44:31,440
that were dedicated to making
objects out of obsidian.
895
00:44:31,440 --> 00:44:34,440
We know that obsidian played
an extremely important role
896
00:44:34,440 --> 00:44:37,950
in the city's economy, and
we found obsidian artifacts
897
00:44:37,950 --> 00:44:41,473
in other places far away from Teotihuacan.
898
00:44:41,473 --> 00:44:43,110
899
00:44:43,110 --> 00:44:46,410
- Now the greatest
economic power in Mesoamerica,
900
00:44:46,410 --> 00:44:50,591
Teotihuacan attracted traders
from all over Central America.
901
00:44:50,591 --> 00:44:53,190
902
00:44:53,190 --> 00:44:56,313
Entire neighborhoods of
foreigners began to spring up.
903
00:44:58,410 --> 00:45:01,590
The Zapotec neighborhood,
located three kilometers
904
00:45:01,590 --> 00:45:03,390
west of the Avenue of the Dead
905
00:45:03,390 --> 00:45:06,690
was specialized in the
production of stucco.
906
00:45:06,690 --> 00:45:08,700
In the northwest, there was a neighborhood
907
00:45:08,700 --> 00:45:11,280
that regrouped people
from the Veracruz region
908
00:45:11,280 --> 00:45:12,753
and the Maya lowlands.
909
00:45:14,215 --> 00:45:15,750
910
00:45:15,750 --> 00:45:17,790
- Today,
Teotihuacan would've been
911
00:45:17,790 --> 00:45:21,360
a multi-ethnic city, like
New York City or Paris,
912
00:45:21,360 --> 00:45:23,580
where people from all over the world dress
913
00:45:23,580 --> 00:45:26,121
and speak in a variety of ways.
914
00:45:26,121 --> 00:45:29,190
915
00:45:29,190 --> 00:45:30,840
- It seemed
like nothing could stop
916
00:45:30,840 --> 00:45:32,673
the incredible growth of the city.
917
00:45:34,410 --> 00:45:36,600
A regional power up until then,
918
00:45:36,600 --> 00:45:39,210
Teotihuacan was about to take a new step
919
00:45:39,210 --> 00:45:40,743
in its quest for domination.
920
00:45:43,034 --> 00:45:45,701
921
00:45:47,370 --> 00:45:49,593
The year was 200 AD.
922
00:45:51,257 --> 00:45:53,040
In the Valley of Mexico,
923
00:45:53,040 --> 00:45:55,800
Tlalancaleca and Cuicuilco,
924
00:45:55,800 --> 00:45:57,900
Teotihuacan's biggest competitors
925
00:45:57,900 --> 00:45:59,043
started to crumble.
926
00:45:59,910 --> 00:46:01,443
No one really knows why.
927
00:46:02,820 --> 00:46:04,440
And yet at the same time,
928
00:46:04,440 --> 00:46:07,350
construction on a new
pyramid in Teotihuacan
929
00:46:07,350 --> 00:46:09,360
seemed to mark the end of a battle
930
00:46:09,360 --> 00:46:12,140
of which the city emerged victorious.
931
00:46:12,140 --> 00:46:14,723
932
00:46:16,192 --> 00:46:17,025
933
00:46:17,025 --> 00:46:18,420
- When the
construction of the Pyramid
934
00:46:18,420 --> 00:46:20,640
of the Feathered Serpent was set to begin,
935
00:46:20,640 --> 00:46:24,600
a massive sacrifice of
260 people took place.
936
00:46:24,600 --> 00:46:26,640
It's possible that they
were prisoners of war
937
00:46:26,640 --> 00:46:29,790
or rival leaders who were
brought here and sacrificed.
938
00:46:29,790 --> 00:46:32,130
There were placed at the
base of the structure,
939
00:46:32,130 --> 00:46:34,620
hands tied behind their backs.
940
00:46:34,620 --> 00:46:37,020
They were all taller than average.
941
00:46:37,020 --> 00:46:41,103
They all had weapons and were
adorned with warrior symbols.
942
00:46:42,222 --> 00:46:44,400
943
00:46:44,400 --> 00:46:46,680
- Did this
mass sacrifice signify
944
00:46:46,680 --> 00:46:49,448
a change in the Teotihuacan
power structure?
945
00:46:49,448 --> 00:46:52,698
946
00:46:54,000 --> 00:46:56,220
Built directly above the old tunnel,
947
00:46:56,220 --> 00:46:59,610
this new pyramid was
dedicated to Quetzalcoatl,
948
00:46:59,610 --> 00:47:01,338
the powerful feathered serpent.
949
00:47:01,338 --> 00:47:03,510
950
00:47:03,510 --> 00:47:07,110
- Feathered serpent
brings this emblem of time
951
00:47:07,110 --> 00:47:10,110
and the creation of new time on its back.
952
00:47:10,110 --> 00:47:13,050
And the way that this was materialized
953
00:47:13,050 --> 00:47:15,930
is by embedding a whole military army
954
00:47:15,930 --> 00:47:18,120
within the nucleus of the structure
955
00:47:18,120 --> 00:47:20,670
where this feathered serpent is meandering
956
00:47:20,670 --> 00:47:22,530
on its frontal facade, right?
957
00:47:22,530 --> 00:47:24,780
So it's a very powerful message
958
00:47:24,780 --> 00:47:28,349
that reflects the
arrival of new rulership.
959
00:47:28,349 --> 00:47:31,099
960
00:47:32,700 --> 00:47:34,260
- A new sovereign had thus
961
00:47:34,260 --> 00:47:35,793
taken control of the city,
962
00:47:37,560 --> 00:47:39,300
an authoritarian leader,
963
00:47:39,300 --> 00:47:41,340
whose goal was to make Teotihuacan
964
00:47:41,340 --> 00:47:44,239
the first empire of Mesoamerica.
965
00:47:44,239 --> 00:47:46,989
966
00:47:48,030 --> 00:47:51,240
The new pyramid was meant
to surpass everything
967
00:47:51,240 --> 00:47:52,893
that had been previously built.
968
00:47:53,852 --> 00:47:56,602
969
00:47:57,630 --> 00:48:01,143
To do so, architects had
to adopt a new style,
970
00:48:02,854 --> 00:48:04,251
Talud-tablero.
971
00:48:04,251 --> 00:48:07,710
972
00:48:07,710 --> 00:48:11,940
This style uses an
inward-sloping wall, the talud,
973
00:48:11,940 --> 00:48:14,460
to support a vertical
slab that's perpendicular
974
00:48:14,460 --> 00:48:17,186
to the ground called the tablero.
975
00:48:17,186 --> 00:48:19,936
976
00:48:21,150 --> 00:48:25,020
This technique created significant
areas of ornate facades
977
00:48:25,020 --> 00:48:27,840
that further serve the state's propaganda.
978
00:48:27,840 --> 00:48:29,940
979
00:48:29,940 --> 00:48:32,310
- The Feathered Serpent
Pyramid was very innovative
980
00:48:32,310 --> 00:48:35,400
at that time period
because of the integration
981
00:48:35,400 --> 00:48:38,130
of three-dimensional
sculptures with the building.
982
00:48:38,130 --> 00:48:40,650
Originally, those sculptures were painted
983
00:48:40,650 --> 00:48:42,510
with a lot of different colors,
984
00:48:42,510 --> 00:48:45,690
including green, white,
black, and also yellow.
985
00:48:45,690 --> 00:48:47,430
Usually, Mesoamerican pyramids
986
00:48:47,430 --> 00:48:49,770
were painted in just one color.
987
00:48:49,770 --> 00:48:52,440
So I can imagine that those
viewers were impressed,
988
00:48:52,440 --> 00:48:54,930
highly impressed because they had not seen
989
00:48:54,930 --> 00:48:56,910
the same thing before.
990
00:48:56,910 --> 00:48:59,940
We think that those Teotihuacan elite
991
00:48:59,940 --> 00:49:04,260
wanted two impress people
by inventing something new,
992
00:49:04,260 --> 00:49:07,320
which is associated with the new order
993
00:49:07,320 --> 00:49:10,925
established with the
building of this pyramid.
994
00:49:10,925 --> 00:49:14,100
995
00:49:14,100 --> 00:49:16,620
- Carved out of
heavy blocks of andesite,
996
00:49:16,620 --> 00:49:20,190
the sculpture seem to float
on the sides of the building,
997
00:49:20,190 --> 00:49:23,824
an illusory effect created
by an ingenious system.
998
00:49:23,824 --> 00:49:26,574
999
00:49:27,480 --> 00:49:30,750
- In order to integrate
three-dimensional sculpture
1000
00:49:30,750 --> 00:49:31,830
into the building,
1001
00:49:31,830 --> 00:49:36,030
they invented a new technology
called tenon sculpture.
1002
00:49:36,030 --> 00:49:38,760
So here we see the serpent head,
1003
00:49:38,760 --> 00:49:41,394
and this part is called a tenon.
1004
00:49:41,394 --> 00:49:43,590
1005
00:49:43,590 --> 00:49:45,990
- In order to
suspend the heavy rock,
1006
00:49:47,100 --> 00:49:49,650
a cantilever on one end of the stone
1007
00:49:49,650 --> 00:49:52,968
is slid into a hole in
the side of the facade.
1008
00:49:52,968 --> 00:49:54,960
1009
00:49:54,960 --> 00:49:58,350
Within the pyramid, a
chamber made of heavy stone
1010
00:49:58,350 --> 00:50:01,893
holds up the sculpture by
counterbalancing its weight.
1011
00:50:03,300 --> 00:50:05,850
- So that sculpture does not fall.
1012
00:50:05,850 --> 00:50:07,800
This was unique in Mesoamerica,
1013
00:50:07,800 --> 00:50:10,320
and we don't see the same technology
1014
00:50:10,320 --> 00:50:12,640
before and after Teotihuacan.
1015
00:50:12,640 --> 00:50:15,223
1016
00:50:16,860 --> 00:50:17,970
- Previously conducted
1017
00:50:17,970 --> 00:50:21,240
in a highly intimate
setting within the tunnel,
1018
00:50:21,240 --> 00:50:23,250
the rituals for the transmission of power
1019
00:50:23,250 --> 00:50:25,136
now took place in public.
1020
00:50:25,136 --> 00:50:27,719
1021
00:50:28,770 --> 00:50:31,170
To that end, the Pyramid
of the Feathered Serpent
1022
00:50:31,170 --> 00:50:33,630
was incorporated into
an architectural complex
1023
00:50:33,630 --> 00:50:36,030
of over 160,000 square meters
1024
00:50:36,030 --> 00:50:39,028
designed as an enormous
stage, La Ciudadela.
1025
00:50:39,028 --> 00:50:42,270
1026
00:50:42,270 --> 00:50:44,580
Surrounded by a nine-meter high platform,
1027
00:50:44,580 --> 00:50:47,670
this closed watertight
space was made to carry out
1028
00:50:47,670 --> 00:50:50,913
an incredible spectacle at the
arrival of the rainy season.
1029
00:50:52,664 --> 00:50:53,497
1030
00:50:53,497 --> 00:50:55,860
- The myth were told about ancient times,
1031
00:50:55,860 --> 00:50:57,540
which no one can remember,
1032
00:50:57,540 --> 00:50:59,430
was that there was only water,
1033
00:50:59,430 --> 00:51:01,650
only the sea at first.
1034
00:51:01,650 --> 00:51:03,570
Thanks to divine intervention,
1035
00:51:03,570 --> 00:51:06,930
a sacred mountain rose up from the sea.
1036
00:51:06,930 --> 00:51:09,660
That moment marked the
start of the calendar
1037
00:51:09,660 --> 00:51:11,700
and the passing of time.
1038
00:51:11,700 --> 00:51:15,270
We have proof that the
Teotihuacanos flooded the square.
1039
00:51:15,270 --> 00:51:17,970
It was their way of
representing the primitive sea
1040
00:51:17,970 --> 00:51:20,787
from which the sacred mountain had arisen.
1041
00:51:20,787 --> 00:51:22,770
1042
00:51:22,770 --> 00:51:24,150
- More than just a city,
1043
00:51:24,150 --> 00:51:26,880
Teotihuacan now embodied a myth,
1044
00:51:26,880 --> 00:51:29,793
the original place where
the universe was created.
1045
00:51:31,110 --> 00:51:33,660
Its influence stretched far and wide,
1046
00:51:33,660 --> 00:51:35,490
from the Maya lands in the south
1047
00:51:35,490 --> 00:51:38,484
to the northernmost limits
of the Mexican territory.
1048
00:51:38,484 --> 00:51:42,090
1049
00:51:42,090 --> 00:51:43,920
An empire, the size of which
1050
00:51:43,920 --> 00:51:47,100
would forever remain
unmatched in Mesoamerica,
1051
00:51:47,100 --> 00:51:50,868
everyone thought Teotihuacan
had become the supreme city.
1052
00:51:50,868 --> 00:51:54,003
1053
00:51:54,003 --> 00:51:55,680
1054
00:51:55,680 --> 00:51:58,020
- The square was huge.
1055
00:51:58,020 --> 00:52:01,770
According to our calculations,
around 100,000 people
1056
00:52:01,770 --> 00:52:04,590
must have participated in the rituals.
1057
00:52:04,590 --> 00:52:06,720
We think it wasn't simply a ritual to mark
1058
00:52:06,720 --> 00:52:09,783
the passing of power among
leaders in Teotihuacan.
1059
00:52:11,040 --> 00:52:13,830
It might have also been
used by other governments,
1060
00:52:13,830 --> 00:52:17,370
and perhaps even Maya kings who came here
1061
00:52:17,370 --> 00:52:19,563
when it was their turn to be anointed.
1062
00:52:21,060 --> 00:52:23,960
- Ruler of Copan pilgrimed to Teotihuacan
1063
00:52:23,960 --> 00:52:27,270
to become enthroned as King of Copan.
1064
00:52:27,270 --> 00:52:30,030
K'inich Yax K'uk Mo' was at Teotihuacan
1065
00:52:30,030 --> 00:52:32,910
and went back and became
the ruler of Copan.
1066
00:52:32,910 --> 00:52:35,100
So, it was an important voyage,
1067
00:52:35,100 --> 00:52:37,140
a religious voyage to create
1068
00:52:37,140 --> 00:52:40,011
your identity as the ruler himself.
1069
00:52:40,011 --> 00:52:42,678
1070
00:52:44,100 --> 00:52:47,280
- In five centuries,
Teotihuacan had in turns
1071
00:52:47,280 --> 00:52:49,680
become a popular pilgrimage site,
1072
00:52:49,680 --> 00:52:52,230
then the biggest city in Mesoamerica,
1073
00:52:52,230 --> 00:52:54,097
and finally an empire.
1074
00:52:54,097 --> 00:52:56,670
1075
00:52:56,670 --> 00:52:59,340
A city built by hundreds
of thousands of men
1076
00:52:59,340 --> 00:53:01,563
from all over Central America,
1077
00:53:04,200 --> 00:53:06,150
all convinced they were carrying out
1078
00:53:06,150 --> 00:53:08,044
the work of the gods.
1079
00:53:08,044 --> 00:53:10,794
1080
00:53:12,840 --> 00:53:15,840
And yet in 650 AD,
1081
00:53:15,840 --> 00:53:17,490
although no major construction
1082
00:53:17,490 --> 00:53:20,430
had been undertaken in over two centuries,
1083
00:53:20,430 --> 00:53:24,122
dissident voices seemed
to rise over the city.
1084
00:53:24,122 --> 00:53:26,872
1085
00:53:28,260 --> 00:53:29,790
1086
00:53:29,790 --> 00:53:30,623
- Here we're standing
1087
00:53:30,623 --> 00:53:32,883
at the intersection of multiple streets.
1088
00:53:34,680 --> 00:53:37,653
You can see the sides of
various residential complexes.
1089
00:53:38,940 --> 00:53:41,700
Suddenly, the roads were made narrower
1090
00:53:41,700 --> 00:53:44,340
and surveillance buildings
were put into place,
1091
00:53:44,340 --> 00:53:47,433
to control who could access
the various complexes.
1092
00:53:51,990 --> 00:53:54,360
It seems like the elite
were trying so hard
1093
00:53:54,360 --> 00:53:56,433
to control the lower class people
1094
00:53:56,433 --> 00:53:59,403
that the latter probably began to rebel.
1095
00:54:03,810 --> 00:54:05,880
We think that conflict began to grow
1096
00:54:05,880 --> 00:54:07,893
between the two social classes.
1097
00:54:10,965 --> 00:54:13,470
1098
00:54:13,470 --> 00:54:14,970
- The repressive
measures provoked
1099
00:54:14,970 --> 00:54:17,446
the anger of the Teotihuacanos.
1100
00:54:17,446 --> 00:54:20,279
1101
00:54:21,167 --> 00:54:25,152
A wave of violence started to
spread in the city streets.
1102
00:54:25,152 --> 00:54:30,060
1103
00:54:30,060 --> 00:54:31,800
- It was violent.
1104
00:54:31,800 --> 00:54:33,090
There's a lot of burning.
1105
00:54:33,090 --> 00:54:34,800
And particularly, I'm talking about
1106
00:54:34,800 --> 00:54:36,300
the ceremonial center, right?
1107
00:54:36,300 --> 00:54:39,840
We have a lot of evidence
of burning in various areas.
1108
00:54:39,840 --> 00:54:42,030
So, I do think it had to do
1109
00:54:42,030 --> 00:54:46,140
with a collapse with the
central authority itself.
1110
00:54:46,140 --> 00:54:50,010
That is probably quite spectacular
1111
00:54:50,010 --> 00:54:51,720
because think about the scale,
1112
00:54:51,720 --> 00:54:54,690
and these are not wooden
structures, right?
1113
00:54:54,690 --> 00:54:57,120
So they would' have
required a lot of planning
1114
00:54:57,120 --> 00:55:01,080
and a lot of resources to
complete the level of burning
1115
00:55:01,080 --> 00:55:02,703
that we see in the city itself.
1116
00:55:04,410 --> 00:55:06,120
- The elite overthrown,
1117
00:55:06,120 --> 00:55:09,510
Teotihuacan became no
more than an empty shell
1118
00:55:09,510 --> 00:55:12,960
and its religious center
collapsed into a pile of ashes.
1119
00:55:12,960 --> 00:55:14,970
1120
00:55:14,970 --> 00:55:17,081
The city's residents fled.
1121
00:55:17,081 --> 00:55:19,812
1122
00:55:19,812 --> 00:55:21,510
1123
00:55:21,510 --> 00:55:23,550
- We have
proof that certain places
1124
00:55:23,550 --> 00:55:26,070
were abandoned very suddenly.
1125
00:55:26,070 --> 00:55:29,613
We found grindstones that
they used to grind grain.
1126
00:55:30,510 --> 00:55:32,160
And when we removed them,
1127
00:55:32,160 --> 00:55:34,443
there was still corn meal residue on them.
1128
00:55:35,400 --> 00:55:37,650
The people must have fled quickly,
1129
00:55:37,650 --> 00:55:39,900
leaving behind anything heavy,
1130
00:55:39,900 --> 00:55:42,660
taking with them only
what they could carry.
1131
00:55:42,660 --> 00:55:45,480
The migrants who had been
living in Teotihuacan
1132
00:55:45,480 --> 00:55:47,850
returned to their native homelands,
1133
00:55:47,850 --> 00:55:51,060
taking with them the
sole prestige that came
1134
00:55:51,060 --> 00:55:54,810
with having lived in the
greatest and most powerful city
1135
00:55:54,810 --> 00:55:57,767
that had ever existed in Mesoamerica.
1136
00:55:57,767 --> 00:56:00,210
1137
00:56:00,210 --> 00:56:02,250
- Deserted, Teotihuacan
1138
00:56:02,250 --> 00:56:04,498
fell into oblivion for centuries.
1139
00:56:04,498 --> 00:56:07,440
1140
00:56:07,440 --> 00:56:09,180
But this incredible city
1141
00:56:09,180 --> 00:56:11,910
has not finished telling its story.
1142
00:56:11,910 --> 00:56:15,060
Rediscovered by the Aztecs
in the 13th century,
1143
00:56:15,060 --> 00:56:17,160
it's become a place that touches anyone
1144
00:56:17,160 --> 00:56:19,443
lucky enough to visit its great pyramids.
1145
00:56:21,000 --> 00:56:25,461
After all, Teotihuacan is
the birthplace of the gods.
1146
00:56:25,461 --> 00:56:28,044
1147
00:56:33,258 --> 00:56:36,091
84280
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