Teotihuacan: An Experiment in Living [Hardcover]

Teotihuacan in Mexico was the most powerful state in Mesoamerica between AD 1 and 750; its people built an ordered city of unprecedented size which contains the famous huge pyramids, yet the ethnic identity of its inhabitants, what language they spoke, the names of their rulers and the original name of the metropolis continue to be a mystery. This book is the first comprehensive study and reinterpretation of the arts of the Teotihuacan including architecture, sculpture, mural painting and ceramics. The study takes the approach that art holds the key to understanding these elusive people as art is a reflection of the society which created it. Pasztory argues that their art does not glorify the rulers because its people wished to create an image of an intergrated community. Instead their art glorifies nature and the supernatural and emphasizes egalitarian rather than aristocratic values, which suggests a unique community with a very individual way of life.Teotihuacan in Mexico was the most powerful state in Mesoamerica between AD 1 and 750; its people built an ordered city of unprecedented size which contains the famous huge pyramids, yet the ethnic identity of its inhabitants, what language they spoke, the names of their rulers and the original name of the metropolis continue to be a mystery.