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GEOGRAPHY The Feathered Serpent Pyramid is located at the Pre-Columbian site of Teotihuacán. Teotihuacán is located in central Mexico . The Feathered Serpent Pyramid is located in the Ciudadela at the South end of the Avenue of the Dead. The avenue is not quite true north but it is exceptionally close. The Avenue of the Dead is a long avenue of land which is surrounded by talud-tablero platforms. It ends in the north at the Pyramid of the Moon. If one walks along the Avenue of the Dead from north to south starting at the Plaza of the Moon, one would cross the Sun Pyramid, which is built so that the sun would rise directly over the pyramid during the Summer Solstice . After passing the Pyramid of the Sun one would then arrive at the Great Compound and the Ciudadela. This astronomical, oriented, architecture is a clear representation that the people of Teotihuacán went to great lengths for their ideography. THE CIUDADELA The Ciudadela is a Spanish term used when the Conquistador s arrived at Teotihuacán. It is a structure with high walls and a large Courtyard . At first, the conquistadors thought it was a Fort and that is why they call it the Ciudadela. The Ciudadela’s courtyard is massive enough that it could house the entire adult population of Teotihuacán within its walls. Teotihuacán’s population at the time is estimated somewhere around hundred thousand people during its most flourishing times. Within the Ciudadela there are several monumental structures. There is the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent, two Mansion s on the North and South side of the Feathered Serpent, and the Adosada platform. The Adosada platform is located on the front, West side of the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent, blocking its front view. DESCRIPTION OF THE FEATHERED SERPENT'S ARCHITECTURE The Feathered Serpent Pyramid is built upwards in layers. At the last platform, there is thought to be some sort of super-structure. In between every platform there is a wall where a feathered serpent’s head sticks outward. Its body wraps around the entire pyramid. Along with the feathered serpent there is also another figure that some believe is a representation of a crocodile or a representation of the deity Tlaloc . These figures alternate around the pyramid. In the eyes of these figures there is a spot for Obsidian glass to be put in, so when the light hits, its eyes would glimmer. In between the heads a row of three shells can be found. These shells are not fresh water creatures either and Teotihuacán is located in central Mexico. Therefore, the people of Teotihuacán were trading with people along the costal ridge of Mexico. Another amazing feature the Temple of the Feathered Serpent had was it been completely painted. Imagine a building being a mural. In conclusion, a great deal of work, time, religious beliefs, and artistic ability went into the architecture of the Feathered Serpent Pyramid. Today it is hidden by an adosada platfrom built in the 4th century hinting at political restructurisation of Teotihuacan during that time. BURIALS AT THE PYRAMID OF THE FEATHERED SERPENT Teotihuacán was a place that believed in ritual Sacrifice for just about all their needs. They would sacrifice victims for rain, for good harvest, for warfare, for whatever need they might want their gods to help them with. Thus, it is not a surprise that they would sacrifice people to make a structure a holy place. A modern day example is how Christian religious will bless the land before they start construction on a new Church or Cemetery . Multiple burials were found at the pyramid. The numbers of the burials are 4, 8, 9, 13, 18, and 20; these numbers represent significant ideology in Mesoamerica. There are four directions in the world, nine layers of their Underworld , thirteen layers of heaven and earth, and a ritual calendar of thirteen months of twenty days or two hundred and sixty day calendar, and a solar calendar of eighteen months of twenty days. In summary, these human sacrifices were made in order to spiritualize the place of the Feathered Serpent Pyramid. CALENDAR As stated above there was a correlation between the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent and a Calendar for the people of Teotihuacán. The pyramid also is thought to contain two hundred and sixty feathered serpent heads between the platforms. Each of these feathered serpents also contains an open area in its mouth. This open area is big enough to put a place holder in. Thus, it is believed that the people of Teotihuacán would move this place marker around the pyramid to represent the ritual calendar. When a spiritual day would arrive the people would gather within the walls of the Ciudadela and celebrate the ritual. In brief, the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent had key roles in religious beliefs for Teotihuacán. POLITICAL The Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent was not only a religious center but also a political center as well. The rulers of Teotihuacán were not only the leaders of men; they were also the Spiritual leaders. At the Feathered Serpent Pyramid there are two mansions on the north and south side of the pyramid. These platforms are thought to be mansions for political families in power at the time. An interesting feature of the Feathered Serpent Pyramid is there are examples of a shift in power or ideology in Teotihuacán and for the Pyramid itself. The construction of the Adosada platform came much later than the Feathered Serpent Pyramid. The Adosada platform is built directly in front of the pyramid and blocks its front view. This platform is built on top of the Feathered Serpent Pyramid. Thus, it is thought that the political leaders lost favor or that the ideology of the Feathered Serpent Pyramid lost virtue and was covered up by the Adosada. In conclusion, the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent is a representation of political rise and fall in Teotihuacán. REFERENCES Mesoamerican Archaeology. Edited by: Julia A. Hendon and Rosemary A. Joyce EXTERNAL LINKS
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