Temple of the Feathered Serpent, Teotihuacan

The Temple of the Feathered Serpent is the modern-day name for the third largest pyramid at Teotihuacan, a pre-Columbian site in central Mexico. This structure is particularly notable due to the 200 or more sacrificial victims found buried beneath the structure. The burials, like the structure, are dated to some time between 150 and 200 CE. [Castro.]

The pyramid takes its name from representations of the Mesoamerican "feathered serpent" deity which covered its sides. These are some of the earliest-known representations of the feathered serpent, often identified with the much-later Aztec god Quetzalcoatl. [Miller and Taube (1993), p.162.]

This structure is also termed the Temple of Quetzalcoatl, and the Feathered Serpent Pyramid.

Location

The Temple of the Feathered Serpent is located at the southern end of the Teotihuacan's Avenue of the Dead, the main thoroughfare, within the Ciudadela complex.

The Ciudadela (Spanish, "citadel") is a structure with high walls and a large courtyard surrounding the temple. The Ciudadela’s courtyard is massive enough that it could house the entire adult population of Teotihuacán within its walls, which was estimated to be one hundred thousand people at its peak. Within the Ciudadela there are several monumental structures, including the temple, two mansions north and south of the temple, and the Adosada platform. Built in the 4th century, the Adosada platform is located just in front (west) of the Temple of the Feathered Serpent, obscuring its view.

Architecture

The Feathered Serpent Pyramid is a six-level step pyramid built in the talud-tablero style. The outside edges of each level are decorated with feathered serpent heads alternating with those of another snake-like creature, often identified as Tlaloc. Mary Ellen Miller & Karl Taube, however, state that these heads may represent a "war serpent", [Miller & Taube p. 162] while Michael D. Coe says, somewhat similarly, that they probably represent the "fire serpent" wearing a headdress with the Teotihuacan symbol for war. [Coe, p. 98.] 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.Fact|date=September 2008

In antiquity the entire pyramid was painted – the background here was blue with carved sea shells providing decoration. [Coe, p. 98.] Under each row of heads are bas-reliefs of the full feathered serpent, in profile, also associated with water symbols.

These and other designs and architectural elements are more than merely decorative, suggesting "strong ideological significance", although there is no consensus just what that significance is. Some interpret the pyramid's iconography as cosmological in scope – a myth of the origin of time or of creation – or as calendrical in nature. Others find symbols of rulership, or war and the military. [A summary of the possible iconographic interpretation can be found in Spence et al., p. 1.]

Today the pyramid is largely hidden by the Adosada platform hinting at political restructurisation of Teotihuacan during the fourth century CE, perhaps a "rejection of autocratic rule" in favour of a collective leadership. [Cowgill (2003), p. 211-212.]

Burials at the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent

Two hundred or more sacrificial burials were found at the pyramid, believed to be carried out as part of the dedication of the temple. [Cowgill (2002).] The burials are grouped in various locations, the significance of which is not yet understood. While there are burials of both men and women, the males outnumber the females. The males were accompanied by the remains of weapons and accoutrements, such as necklaces of human teeth, that lead researchers to conclude that they were warriors, probably warriors in service to Teotihuacan rather than captives from opposing armies. The richness of the burial goods generally increases toward the center of the pyramid. At least three degrees of status have been identified, although there is no indication of a dead ruler or other obvious focal. [Cowgill (2003), p. 210-211.]

Relation to the Calendar

There was an apparent correlation between the Temple of the Feathered Serpent and the calendar. 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.Fact|date=September 2008

Political influences

The Temple 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 of the city. The two mansions near the pyramid are thought to have been occupied by powerful families. An interesting feature of the Feathered Serpent Pyramid is that 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. Thus, it is thought that the political leaders lost favor or that the ideology of the Feathered Serpent Pyramid lost virtue, and so was covered up by the Adosada.Fact|date=September 2008

Gallery

Notes

References

:aut|Castro, Ruben Cabrera (1993) "Human Sacrifice at the Temple of the Feathered Serpent: Recent Discoveries at Teotihuacan" Kathleen Berrin, Esther Pasztory, eds., "Teotihuacan, Art from the City of the Gods", Thames and Hudson, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, ISBN 0-500-27767-2.: cite book |author=aut|Coe, Michael D. |authorlink=Michael D. Coe |coauthors=with aut|Rex Koontz|year=2002|origyear= |title=Mexico: from the Olmecs to the Aztecs |edition=5th edition, revised and enlarged |publisher=Thames & Hudson |location=London and New York |isbn=0-500-28346-X |oclc=50131575 :aut|Cowgill, George L. (2002) [http://www.famsi.org/reports/96036/ "Ritual Sacrifice and the Feathered Serpent Pyramid at Teotihuacán, México"] , Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, Inc., accessed September 2008.:aut|Cowgill, George L. (2003) "Social Differentiation at Teotihuacan" in "Mesoamerican Elites: An Archaeological Assessment", Diane Z. Chase, Arlen F. Chase, eds., University of Oklahoma Press, ISBN 9780806135427.:cite book|author=aut|Hendon, Julia A. |coauthors=aut|Joyce, Rosemary A. (Eds.) |year=2003 |title=Mesoamerican Archaeology: Theory and Practice |publisher=Blackwell Publishing |id=ISBN 0-631-23051-3:cite book |author= aut|Miller, Mary Ellen|authorlink=Mary Miller |coauthors=aut|Karl Taube |year=1993 |title=The Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya |publisher=Thames and Hudson |location=London |isbn=0-500-05068-6:aut|Spence, Michael W.; Christine D. White, Fred J. Longstaffe, and Kimberley R. Law (2004) "Victims of the Victims, Human trophies worn by sacrificed soldiers from the Feathered Serpent Pyramid, Teotihuacan", "Ancient Mesoamerica", vol. 5, pp. 1–15.

External links

* [http://archaeology.la.asu.edu/teo/ Teotihuacan Home Page]
* [http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJournal?jid=ATM&bVolume= Ancient Mesoamerica (journal)]