Pyramid of the Sun
Teotihuacan · State of Mexico, Mexico · c. 1st–2nd centuries CE (Tzacualli phase, c. 100–250 CE), the heyday of Teotihuacan, Mesoamerica
The Pyramid of the Sun is the largest structure of Teotihuacan and one of the largest stepped buildings of ancient Mesoamerica. It is a massive mound of earth and volcanic stone, once faced and painted, standing above a sacred cave and fitted into the astronomical grid of the city. Although it is called a "pyramid", it is a multi-tiered temple platform — a typological "relative" of the ziggurat.
Dossier
- Type: Stepped structure
- Ancient city: Teotihuacan
- Modern location: State of Mexico, Mexico
- Dedication: The exact dedication is unknown (the temple on the summit was destroyed); the name "Pyramid of the Sun" is Aztec. Presumably a cult center of solar and calendrical cycles
- Dating: c. 1st–2nd centuries CE (Tzacualli phase, c. 100–250 CE), the heyday of Teotihuacan, Mesoamerica
- Builders: The inhabitants of the city of Teotihuacan (the names of the builders and rulers are unknown); the name "Pyramid of the Sun" was given by the Aztecs
- Material: A core of earth and mud brick (adobe), faced with volcanic stone (tezontle) and lime plaster with painted decoration; neither the facing nor the paintings have survived
- Plan: An almost square base with a side of c. 225 m (sources give from c. 220 to c. 230 m); oriented toward the peak of Cerro Gordo and the points where the sun sets on certain dates of the calendar
- Base: 225 × 225 m
- Height (surviving): about 65 m
- Tiers: 5
What matters
The Pyramid of the Sun grew over the centuries, and the five setbacks visible today are largely the result of the early twentieth-century restoration: the number and shape of the steps of the original pyramid are not known exactly. Its present height is about 65 m, and the side of its base is roughly 225 m. Counting the lost upper temple, the structure may have reached 71–75 m.