Teotihuacan means “the abode of gods” in Nahuatl, the language spoken by Aztecs.
There are three pyramids at Teotihuacan, including the Pyramid of the Sun, which is ranked as the world's seventh largest.
A unique feature of Teotihuacan is that it was different from other ancient Mesoamerican cities. During its heyday, it was a multi-ethnic society in which people worshipped many gods, was the world's biggest exporter of obsidian tools, and was one of the most powerful cities. It vanished without a trace, leaving only the ruins of Teotihuacan behind. It remains one of the world's most mysterious civilizations to this day.
In 700 AD, Teotihuacan was destroyed by an internal uprising of the working class against the ruling elite. Teotihuacan never recovered from the looting and burning that occurred during the 700s.
Teotihuacan's buildings and monuments were built using tezontle, a coarse volcanic rock commonly found in the Valley of Mexico.
Between 250 and 700AD, the golden period of Teotihuacan lasted over 800 years.
There are many differences between Teotihuacan and Tenochtitlan. Located about 30 miles east of Mexico City, Teotihuacan is an ancient city (in ruins), while
Tenochtitlan was the Aztec capital (demolished by the Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century) located in Mexico City's Historic Center. Teotihuacan was established by an unknown group of people in the 1st century, but Tenochtitlan was founded by the Aztecs in the 14th century. In contrast to Teotihuacan, whose script is still unknown, and its timeline is unclear, Tenochtitlan is relatively well known.