TeotihuacanAztec / Mexica Mythology

In Aztec/Mexica mythology, Teotihuacan is where the current world began. After the Fourth Sun was destroyed, the gods gathered at Teotihuacan to create a new sun. Two gods — the wealthy Tecciztecatl and the humble Nanahuatzin — were chosen to sacrifice themselves by leaping into a great bonfire. Tecciztecatl hesitated. Nanahuatzin leaped without flinching and became the Fifth Sun. Shamed, Tecciztecatl followed and became the Moon.

But the new Sun did not move. It demanded the sacrifice of all the other gods. Quetzalcoatl cut out their hearts, and the Sun began its journey across the sky. This is why the Aztecs understood the Sun as requiring continuous sacrifice — it was born from sacrifice, and only sacrifice could keep it moving.

Teotihuacan lies 30 miles northeast of Mexico City in the Valley of Mexico. The site covers roughly 8 square miles and includes the Pyramid of the Sun (the third-largest pyramid in the world), the Pyramid of the Moon, the Avenue of the Dead, and the Temple of the Feathered Serpent. At its peak around 450 CE, the city held an estimated 125,000-200,000 people, making it one of the largest cities in the world.

The site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Mexico's most-visited archaeological zone, receiving over 2 million visitors annually.

Teotihuacan was built beginning around 100 BCE and reached its peak between 150 and 450 CE. The builders of Teotihuacan were not Aztecs — the city was already 600 years in ruins when the Aztecs arrived in the Valley of Mexico in the 13th century. The Aztecs found the ruins and, awestruck by their scale, named the place Teotihuacan ('birthplace of the gods') and wove it into their own origin mythology.

The city's original name and the identity of its builders remain unknown. It collapsed around 550-600 CE, likely due to internal unrest. Evidence of deliberate burning has been found along the Avenue of the Dead.