Archaeology of Teotihuacan, Mexico

The Pyramid of the Moon in the City Plan

The Pyramid of the Moon forms part of an architectural complex known as the Plaza of the Moon. The spatial arrangement of the structures which form the Plaza of the Moon complex illustrate that the city was laid out according to a master plan based on symmetry and that it was intentionally integrated into the local geography. This is most notable as one walks along the center line of the Avenue of the Dead and looks towards the upper part of Cerro Gordo, the mountain that dominates the landscape to the north of the Pyramid of the Moon. The apex of the Pyramid coincides exactly with the notch on the upper part of the mountain, which lines up exactly with the Avenue. Because of this it seems that the pan-Mesoamerican belief that pyramids represent sacred mountains may have been an important factor in the planning of the ancient city. Other apparently important factors in the planning of the city were the movements of the astronomical bodies such as the Sun, the Moon, and Venus, among others.

The Avenue of the Dead begins at the Plaza of the Moon, which is formed by 15 pyramidal structures, including the Pyramid of the Moon (photograph to the left taken from the Pyramid of the Moon), and continues more than 5 kilometers to the south, almost to the foot of the mountains that can be seen in the distance. The Palace of the Quetzal Butterfly is located immediately to the southwest of the Plaza. The Plaza of the Moon, like the central plaza of the Ciudadela, was probably one of the most sacred ceremonial areas in the metropolis.