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This article interrogates an archaeological application of the Indigenous concept of place-thought, defined by Vanessa Watts as an "understanding of the world via a physical embodiment" through studying corporeal animal forms. This latter encompasses the osteological traces of animal matter (sacrificed animals and prepared body parts) that, because of their material vitalities, provide an opportune site of engagement to retrieve ancient interpersonal relationships. Over 100 corporeal animal forms from Burials 2 and 6 are interpreted as agentive persons who brought into being the Moon Pyramid as an altepetl (water mountain) of Teotihuacan. The altepetl is a seminal place-thought in Mesoamerica intimately tied with sovereignty. The author argues that potentate apex predators (eagles, wolves, jaguars, pumas, and rattlesnakes) became part of Teotihuaccan's community through their captive management and were buried alive to sustain the altepetl as master guardians. A zooarchaeological and isotopic investigation of corporeal animal forms provided lurid details of human–predator interactions, including differential access to the animals, esoteric knowledge about their personhood, and even deceit of that information. She concludes that providing a contextually and historically contingent, data-driven, and inter-personally centered reconstruction of ancient place-thought, though admittedly partial and from a specific perspective, should be attainable given the enhanced methods in archaeology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

El objetivo de este artículo es problematizar el giro ontológico de la crítica al antropocentrismo en torno a cómo se percibe lo humano y lo no-humano en las prácticas de defensa del territorio, particularmente en el pensamiento local del Valle de Teotihuacán, Estado de México, por la defensa del río San Juan. Esto, a partir de la perspectiva post-humanista y dos conceptos ontológicos centrales: ensamblaje más que humano de Donna Haraway (2019) y espectralidad de Jacques Derrida (1998), pensados a partir de flujos históricos y acciones colectivas que han detonado procesos de memoria, reflexión, acción y convivencia en torno al río San Juan. En este texto narramos el momento de conexión en un ensamblaje más que humano territorial y la transformación del río en espectro a partir de huellas de violencia antropocéntrica. Estas reflexiones surgen y se materializan con el uso de pedagogías transdisciplinarias gestionadas por el colectivo Red de Juventudes Teotihuacanas durante los años 2021 y 2022 con activaciones situacionistas: memorias, mapeos y derivas hídricas.

Site E19 (19:N1W5), near Tlailotlacan, the "Zapotec Barrio" of Teotihuacan, contains evidence of both Tlailotlacan and Michoacan affiliation. To verify and better understand the Michoacan relationship, 22 enamel and 19 bone samples from five E19-affiliated burials were analyzed to determine their oxygen isotope compositions, which provide an indication of an individual's area of residence when that particular tissue was forming. Because prismatic blades and Thin Orange ceramics from Teotihuacan occur widely in the Lakes Region of north central Michoacan we obtained samples from several sites there for comparative purposes. The results show that most of the E19 people had passed their later years in the Patzcuaro Basin of the Lakes Region. Although in E19 the archaeological evidence of this relationship declined over time, the isotopic evidence indicates that Patzcuaro ties continued to the end of E19's occupation. It seems that the people of E19, originally Michoacanos, gradually adopted a core identity as Teotihuacanos while continuing to deploy their Michoacan ancestry during their stays in Michoacan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This paper addresses the development of interventions on mural paintings in Teotihuacan and the strategies applied to new findings, such as the one we carried out between 2013 and 2015 at the Complex of the Jaguars, belonging to the Quetzalpapalotl Architectural Complex and located in the northern area of this monumental pre-Hispanic city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

El barrio de La Ventilla es un grupo de conjunto habitacional de clase media que cohabitaron con artesanos de tiempo completo, formó parte de la cuidad de Teotihuacan orientado al suroeste de La Calzada de los Muertos. En este trabajo presentaremos un acercamiento sobre el estudio de fauna y el hueso trabajado de dos frentes, 2 y 5. Del recurso de fauna lacustre en el Frente 2, quienes consumieron fueron la clase media y quienes elaboraban hueso trabajado es el Frente 5. La fauna con mayor consumo tanto en hueso trabajado como alimento fueron los venados, perros, conejos, guajolotes y aves lacustres. Las materias primas mas ocupadas fueron los huesos largos y quizás las plumas.

The study of nonmetric traits is useful for establishing biological differences or affinities between populations. This study considered 12 nonmetric cranial characters. The objective is to compare five series of two different cultural horizons: three populations of the Teotihuacán Classic period and two of the Mexica Postclassic period. For the selection of nonmetric traits, those not altered by intentional cephalic modification were considered. From the sample of materials, it was assessed whether the populations of the Classic period could have biological and cultural affinity between them, making a migratory interpretation which indicates differences in nonmetric characters between them. The mean measure of divergence (MMD) was considered as bio‐distance. The distance matrix was analyzed using the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean and nonmetric multidimensional scaling. Frequencies were studied using the principal component analysis. Mantel test and partial Mantel test were used to compare the distance matrix obtained with the MMD with sites geographical distance matrix, type of settlements matrix, and period of the site's matrix. In none of those cases were found a correlation at the α=0.05 level. Making more plausible that the results of the nonmetric traits MMD matrix agree with a migration process. All methods agree on separating Classical populations into one group and Postclassic populations into another. The archeological contexts, and the study of the material culture found, agree with the analysis of nonmetric characters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Trace: Travaux et Recherches dans les Amériques du Centre is the property of Centro de Estudios Mexicanos & Centroamericanos and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Teotihuacan, the main city of the Classic period in Central Mexico (ca. 150/200–650 CE), was among many things, a colorful city. Through its application on mural painting, ceramics, lapidary, bone, textiles, and the human body itself, coloring materials gave meaning to the Teotihuacan reality. This research presents color as a socio-technological phenomenon from the archaeology of color, the anthropology of technology, and the application of the concept of technological style. From this scope, pictorial palettes of mural painting fragments from three Teotihuacan architectural compounds were studied by digital microscopy, colorimetry, fiber optic reflectance spectroscopy (FORS), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Raman spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) in order to identify the color technology of pigments. This approach led us to identify materials shared by the three studied compounds, red and yellow earths, cinnabar, malachite, pseudomalachite, azurite, and the Teotihuacan grayish blue, found to contain a mix of bone black with calcite. Our results contribute to the discussion on the use of raw materials and their mixtures. We observed a standardization of pigment technology in Teotihuacan mural painting through the use of shared and standard formulations with four indicators that we propose as markers of a technological style for pigments, along with variations in the color materials that evidence the use of different strategies for the procurement and distribution of raw materials among the diverse architectural assemblages of the city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon (AMS 14C) dates (n = 78) from human bone collagen were analyzed in the largest high-resolution chronology study to date at the ancient city of Teotihuacan in central Mexico (ca. AD 1–550). Samples originate from the residential neighborhood of La Ventilla, located in the heart of this major urban center. Here, a trapezoidal model using Bayesian statistics is built from 14C dates combined with data derived from the stylistic analysis of ceramics from burial contexts. Based on this model, we suggest possible refinements to Teotihuacan's ceramic chronology, at least within the La Ventilla neighborhood. We also explore the abandonment and reoccupation of La Ventilla after the political collapse of Teotihuacan in the Metepec and Coyotlatelco phases. Findings suggest that these ceramic phases began earlier than is currently projected and that the well-documented abandonment period of La Ventilla may have occurred more abruptly than originally estimated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The Teotihuacan civilisation was the largest one in ancient Mesoamerica. The Teotihuacan city was born in the north-eastern Basin of Mexico around the second century BC, reached its peak in the fourth century AD, and had cultural influence throughout Mesoamerica. At its peak, the size of the city reached more than 20 km2, and the total population is estimated to have increased from 100,000 to 200,000. However, knowledge of the genetic background of the Teotihuacan people is still limited. Aim We aimed to determine the mitogenome sequences of the Teotihuacan human remains and compare the ancient and present Mesoamericans. In addition, we aimed to identify the food habits of ancient Teotihuacans. Subjects and methods We determined the mitogenome sequences of human remains dated to 250–636 cal AD using target enrichment-coupled next generation sequencing. We also performed stable isotope analysis. Results We successfully obtained nearly full-length sequences newly unearthed from a civilian dwelling in the Teotihuacan site. Teotihuacan mitochondrial DNA was classified into the haplogroups in present and ancient Mesoamericans. In addition, Teotihuacan individuals had a diet dependent on C4 plants such as maize. Conclusion Genetic diversity varied among the Teotihuacans.

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El artículo es una profunda revisión de la historia del hoy llamado Museo Nacional de Antropología, la institución museística más antigua de México. A partir de antecedentes conocidos, profundizamos en aspectos poco investigados previamente de la forma en la que fue progresando o mejorando la manera en la que la sección de arqueología presentaba al público los diversos objetos de su colección, así como en los criterios con que se clasificaba la colección misma y las diversas disputas académicas que esto generaba. Dicha sección pasó de estar en un cuarto con “escaparates”, a finales del siglo XIX, a ocupar la mitad del antiguo museo en la calle de Moneda –con la creación de salas divididas por filiación cultural– a finales de los años 40 del siglo. XX. El texto se concentra en la sala de Teotihuacan, creada en esos años, así como en la historia de su colección.

El encuentro de los arquitectos Moya y Vaquero con las ruinas de Teotihuacán, a los comienzos de sus carreras profesionales, determinó en éstas significativos episodios. Ambos evocarí­an, en no pocas ocasiones, su impresión ante ese conjunto. El hecho se produjo en el viaje por Estados Unidos y México que emprendieron al participar en el -tan resonante- Concurso del Faro de Colón en Santo Domingo. Su influencia no sólo se dejarí­a ver en la propuesta final para el certamen: tras éste, cada arquitecto, ya por separado, dirigirí­a -en análisis gráficos, pinturas o proyectos- lúcidas miradas hacia ese patrimonio arquitectónico que les asombró en su juventud. Y de esas miradas se trata en este estudio, que, partiendo de un sólido conocimiento del estado de la cuestión, aporta materiales y análisis inéditos.

The cinnabar, a vivid red pigment, has been used by many ancient cultures around the world. Teotihuacan is one of the Mesoamerican capitals that used it. The physical characteristics of the mineral and its blood-red color gave it particularly high value and significance. A detailed study on the occurrence of the mineral in Teotihuacan revealed its particular use in funerary and ritual domains as well as in mural painting. On the one hand, this mineral can be considered as an indicator of social status, this resource—of prestige—being reserved for the elites and, on the other hand, its deposit on the body of the deceased was part of a ritual linked to the notion of rebirth. The discovery of cinnabar and mercury in the recently excavated tunnel under the temple of the Feathered Serpent, one of the most emblematic monuments of the city, confirms the symbolic importance of these two elements and their links with the cosmological thought of the ancient Mesoamerican cultures.

The Teotihuacan civilisation was the largest one in ancient Mesoamerica. The Teotihuacan city was born in the north-eastern Basin of Mexico around the second century BC, reached its peak in the fourth century AD, and had cultural influence throughout Mesoamerica. At its peak, the size of the city reached more than 20 km2, and the total population is estimated to have increased from 100,000 to 200,000. However, knowledge of the genetic background of the Teotihuacan people is still limited. We aimed to determine the mitogenome sequences of the Teotihuacan human remains and compare the ancient and present Mesoamericans. In addition, we aimed to identify the food habits of ancient Teotihuacans. We determined the mitogenome sequences of human remains dated to 250–636 cal AD using target enrichment-coupled next generation sequencing. We also performed stable isotope analysis. We successfully obtained nearly full-length sequences newly unearthed from a civilian dwelling in the Teotihuacan site. Teotihuacan mitochondrial DNA was classified into the haplogroups in present and ancient Mesoamericans. In addition, Teotihuacan individuals had a diet dependent on C4 plants such as maize. Genetic diversity varied among the Teotihuacans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we present a proposal for the identification of the origin of the name of the pre‐Columbian urban center of Teotihuacan, the city of gods, based on its toponym structured in geographic accidents or the work of its inhabitants. A historical investigation was carried out, contrasted with an ethnohistorical work and, finally, a series of field observations. We concluded that the name Teotihuacán corresponds to the image registered in the Codex Xólotl, corresponding to a real, observable and measurable event, which is the sunrise located behind the three main buildings of the city, on certain dates of the year, which tells us that the entire city was designed, thought and planned on basis of the sun′s movement in the sky. This is not a new fact, frequently observed in other ancient sites in Mesoamerica. However, in the particular case of Teotihuacan, these events were of such importance and so unique that they lead us do not to discard the idea that the city constituted a great stone clock and a stone calendar, and that it was an unique mark for all inhabitants of the central plateau of Mesoamerica during the classical period. And that even in the post‐classical period it was still remembered precisely as such, as the City of the Sun, a singular place where one can perfectly see the solar alignments at different periods of the year, which are also related to the dry or rainy seasons of the central plateau, associated with the corresponding agricultural cycles. And this leads us to conjecture that the Teotihuacan knowledge of astronomy and agricultural cycles was an important mark of this city, bringing together all the knowledge in turn gathered in these fields by the other civilizations of Mesoamerica. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Professor at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia Jordi Oliveras describes the centuries‐long history of 'beautifying the city'. He discusses how utopian ideas of urban form and placement or architectural design can quickly become dystopian by blindly following rules of classical symmetry or ideas of modernist fashion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Don Juan Felipe de Mugarrieta, like other Basque merchants, was interested in the subdelegaciones. He fulfilled his duties and his bondsmen, but he favored the milicias sueltas of Teotihuacan in conflicts they had with the Indian villages. He also formed militias of Patriotas Voluntarios de Fernando VII. He was the first subdelegate killed by armed Indians in the Intendencia of Mexico at the beginning of the war for independence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Migration is an important factor in the process of urbanization in past and present cities. This study presents new stable carbon and oxygen isotope data from 38 human individuals buried at the ancient Zapotec city of Monte Alban in the modern state of Oaxaca, Mexico. Both bone and enamel tissues were sampled, providing the opportunity to explore mobility over different phases of individuals’ lives. The results document the presence of two statistical outliers and three other individuals who were likely born in foreign locations. One of these non-local individuals (T.8-1(A)) exhibits exceptionally high stable oxygen isotope values in both bone and enamel tissues, suggesting he was born and spent most of his life in a region outside of the valley of Oaxaca, perhaps within the city of Teotihuacan in the Basin of Mexico. The other non-local and possible non-local individuals exhibit outlying stable isotope values in their teeth, but not their bones, suggesting they had moved to Monte Alban many years before death. The results of this study are contextualized within a broader discussion about the nature of the relationship between Monte Alban and Teotihuacan and the possibility of using stable oxygen isotope analysis to detect migration in pre-Hispanic Mesoamerica. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This article uses methods and theory from urban economics and economic geography to examine urban structure at Teotihuacan. • We find evidence of spatial equilibrium at Teotihuacan. • Competition for desirable land near urban amenities acted as a gravitational force for residential location and land use preferences. • We find evidence of a strong spatial gradient of class composition indicating that higher wealth groups outcompeted lower wealth groups for more valuable land. This study employs canonical methods and theory from urban economics and economic geography to analyze the urban structure of the ancient city of Teotihuacan. We present evidence that Teotihuacan's overall configuration, which includes spatial patterning in land use, demography, and social class, reveals density gradients that are consistent with the assumptions of urban spatial equilibrium. In general, spatial equilibrium posits that locational advantages conferred by proximity to desirable land (i.e., urban amenities) are offset by the associated land and transportation costs. These results provide insights into the process of urbanization at the ancient metropolis as well as its structural underpinnings such as social inequality and spatial competition. Based on these results, we argue that the framework employed here is broadly applicable to archaeological case studies and can lead to new inferences about the comparative dynamics of ancient urbanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of a study on the quadruple flutes (multiple pipes) from the UNESCO World Heritage Centre of Teotihuacan, Mexico, based on a thorough examination of the fragmented, restored and partly reconstructed archaeological finds and the manufacture and subsequent test of a series of playable reproductions with a refined reconstructive design. For the latter, organological features, such as the diameter, number and position of the fingerholes/tone holes and the length of the individual pipes of the restored finds are challenged and a new design is proposed that might be closer to the original construction of the Teotihuacan instruments. The study reveals a better understanding of the particular construction, acoustics and musical possibilities of the Teotihuacan quadruple flutes.

Esta reseña rescata la obra documental más importante del arqueólogo Roberto Gallegos Ruiz quien se encargó de recopilar una serie de textos que tratan de la zona arqueológica de Teotihuacan que van desde el siglo XVI hasta el siglo XX.

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This paper presents the acoustic study of a sample of sonic artefacts, in particular a selection of wind instruments (horns, trumpets and pipes), from the UNESCO World Heritage Centre of Teotihuacan, Mexico, based on a thorough examination of the accessible and playable archaeological finds and the construction and subsequent test of a series of experimental models. Combined with the archaeological and iconographical information, the study helps to deduce information with regard to the urban settings in which these instruments might have been used. It also reveals some basic acoustic components of the music once performed in Teotihuacan.

The unexpected encounter of architects Moya and Vaquero with the ruins of Teotihuacán, at the beginning of their professional careers, helped determine significant episodes in their futures. Both architects would return to their impressions in front of this site, on many occasions, This momentous event took place within the framework of their trip to the United States and Mexico to take part in the famous Columbus Lighthouse Competition in Santo Domingo. Its traces would not only be seen in their final proposal for the competition: after it, each architect, now separately, would direct -in graphic analyses, paintings or projects-piercing glances back towards that architectural heritage which had astonished them in their youth. Those glances are the subject of this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of a study on the quadruple flutes (multiple pipes) from the UNESCO World Heritage Centre of Teotihuacan, Mexico, based on a thorough examination of the fragmented, restored and partly reconstructed archaeological finds and the manufacture and subsequent test of a series of playable reproductions with a refined reconstructive design. For the latter, organological features, such as the diameter, number and position of the fingerholes/tone holes and the length of the individual pipes of the restored finds are challenged and a new design is proposed that might be closer to the original construction of the Teotihuacan instruments. The study reveals a better understanding of the particular construction, acoustics and musical possibilities of the Teotihuacan quadruple flutes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Religación: Revista de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades is the property of Religacion: Revista de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Este trabajo identifica íconos de numerales asociados a dos tipos de cómputo del tiempo plasmados en el arte de Teotihuacan durante el periodo Clásico (150-650 dC). Primero, se analiza la pintura mural del altar de Atetelco, distinguiendo seis íconos de números y un símbolo matemático empleados para computar cuentas de 104 años trópicos, y 72 y 7.300 ciclos sinódicos de Venus. Un segundo análisis muestra que ambas cuentas fueron usadas en obras de estilo teotihuacano mediante una iconografía distinta al sistema numérico de puntos y barras. Las fechas teotihuacanas pueden ser correlacionadas con los registros de la cuenta larga del área Maya, lo que nos permite datar los monumentos y artefactos arqueológicos mediante la iconografía. La evidencia muestra que los teotihuacanos midieron el tiempo a largo plazo plasmando las cuentas en complejas obras como parte de la institucionalización del registro del tiempo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multi-analytical approach was used to characterize color remains from Xalla, a Teotihuacan palace complex (project Teotihuacan, Elite and Government. Excavations in Xalla led by Linda R. Manzanilla). Color samples were obtained from polished lithic instruments and pigment ores. Those samples were analyzed combining microscopic and spectroscopic techniques. Our results coincide with previous studies in Teotihuacan, with the chromatic palette displaying a predominance of iron oxides such as hematite, yellow ochre and natural earths, as well as malachite, celadonite and glauconite. We have enlarged the corpus of raw materials with the characterization of jarosite and bone white and mica as aggregate. The identification of raw materials crossed with functional analysis of polished lithic artefacts suggests a production and application process for the pigmenting materials that were divided in four phases, from the crushing of the raw material to the application and finishing of the painted surfaces.

Mica, a mineral resource absent in the Teotihuacán valley, though abundant in the Central Valleys of Oaxaca, was used as a lapidary material that was transformed by specialized pre-Hispanic artisans, thus revealing the complexity of the spheres that make up a socioeconomic unit: production, use-consumption and exchange. The results of the analysis that allowed the identification and description of the micas, and of the possible tools and techniques for their manufacture, are presented herein; as is the spatial distribution of the archaeological evidence discovered in Teotihuacán and in other regions. In conclusion, an explanation is proposed regarding the social dynamics that arose from these productive processes. The temporal parameter to which the analyzed evidences correspond is related to the emergence, the apogee and the collapse of this great city of the Mesoamerican Classic period, together with its links to, and influence on, the outside world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

En un texto previo, abordamos las temporadas arqueológicas I, II y III que el Departamento de Monumentos Prehispánicos del INAH implementó desde el inicio de 1960 hasta septiembre de 1962 en las ruinas de la antigua urbe teotihuacana y que fueron el antecedente de las Temporadas IV y V del denominado “Proyecto Teotihuacán”, ejecutadas entre septiembre de 1962 y septiembre de 1964. El objetivo de este artículo es exponer la información inédita del “Proyecto Teotihuacán” que quedó consignada en los informes técnicos resguardados en el INAH, así como en los escasos textos que fueron publicados para sacar a la luz las fuentes documentales que aportan información directa de los protagonistas del proyecto. Toda esta documentación dará tanto a los investigadores como al público en general, la oportunidad de valorar –de una manera mejor informada– las acciones y las aportaciones que se hicieron durante uno de los proyectos más emblemáticos de la historia de la arqueología mexicana y latinoamericana. Es sólo de esta manera que se podrán comprender los retos que enfrentaron los investigadores, trabajadores, servidores públicos y las instituciones gubernamentales involucradas en llevar a cabo esas exploraciones y reconstrucciones arqueológicas a gran escala. Por primera vez –a más de medio siglo después del término de este megaproyecto– este artículo presenta una visión de conjunto, sistemática y completa, de la información producida por dicho proyecto. Es de máxima importancia recuperar esta memoria arqueológica porque agrega una mejor comprensión de las narrativas que fueron construidas por los especialistas en relación con el desarrollo de la sociedad prehispánica de Teotihuacan, y sobre la historia de la arqueología en esta antigua metrópoli.

Teotihuacan is one of the most studied archaeological sites in Mesoamerica because of its exceptional size and urban planning; however, its last years of occupation and abandonment are still under debate. We report a high-resolution chronology for the Xalla complex integrating archaeomagnetic dates, radiocarbon (14C) ages, and detailed archaeological information about sample type and context in a Bayesian model. The model includes 42 14C ages and 7 archaeomagnetic dates grouped in 6 phases, including samples from collapsed roofs with 14C ages earlier than expected, suggesting a problem of inbuilt age. The archaeomagnetic dates on lime plasters were classified in unburned samples, related to the time of construction, and burned samples, related to the Big Fire associated to the abandonment of Teotihuacan. The modeled 14C ages resulted in shorter intervals, with the possibility of differentiating the construction phases, confirming that big beams had inbuilt age. Further, combining the two dating methods and classifying lime plaster samples in burned and unburned, it was possible to date different events within the same archaeological context. It is concluded that by combining these two dating methods and understanding the moment that each sample is dating, it is possible to obtain solid and precise chronologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teotihuacan, the great metropolis of the Central Mexican highlands, has often been characterized as a state without a writing system. This paper redresses this notion and provides an overview of the city’s writing system and weighs in on its state of decipherment. The corpus of texts is defined and outlined as are its media and contexts. The geographical distribution of the writing system is considered, identifying the localities that define the heartland of Teotihuacan writing and culture, as well as more distant sites and enclaves elsewhere in Mesoamerica where examples of Teotihuacan writing have been found. The temporal distribution is also appraised before going on to present the underlying graphic characteristics of the writing system, leading to an appraisal of the sign inventory, showing clear correspondences to other Mesoamerican logophonetic writing systems. A synopsis of previous work on the writing system is presented in a historical précis, before considering candidate languages of the script and features of the underlying language recorded in the writing system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth of Teotihuacan in the first millennium CE entailed the development of an extensive, dynamic, and multifaceted economic system. Teotihuacan's economy likely included forms of market exchange, making it an important case study for research concerning the origins of market economies. The settings in which goods changed hands and the social significance of economic interactions are not well understood, however. Here, I discuss how contexts of exchange may be reconstructed through the study of domestic artifacts. I focus on ceramics associated with Teotihuacan's neighborhoods and outlying communities, emphasizing recent data from settlements south of the capital. Compositional analyses are important for tracing exchange networks; macroscopic analyses of assemblage content and stylistic variation are also needed to estimate the scales at which goods circulated and to comprehend the social aspects of economic transactions. Finally, I consider the diverse kinds of physical settings in which market exchange may have occurred. Tendencies to view marketplaces primarily as large, architecturally formal, permanent, and centrally located may constrain our ability to identify and assess the significance of those that were small, informal, and situated within communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the finds of Teotihuacan sound artefacts and their depiction in music iconography the percussion instruments (idiophones and membranophones) of the metropolis are being discussed, among which are various types of rattles, rasps, turtle shells, possible drums and xylophones. The focus is on the organology of the instruments, the archaeological contexts of the finds and, according to the information available, their possible contexts of employment in the ceremonial music of Teotihuacan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The word Teotihuacan has been spoken countless times since it was recorded on European paper, in the first third of the 16th Century. It is the name by which the material remains of the most influential archaeological culture of Central Mexico (from the Classic period) are known; however, its etymology is unclear since, throughout history, it has presented several connotations that have resulted in a confusing understanding of its symbolic content. In this paper, we have undertaken the task of identifying reliable historical sources and graphic records, which have allowed us to develop a proposal for a more approximate equivalence to the physical reality, including the monuments and the urban layout of the site, with the aim of bolstering the idea that Teotihuacan could be referenced by way of its direct relationship with solar movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we discuss the astronomical orientations in the city plans of Teotihuacan and Tenochtitlan. Mesoamerica exhibits much archaeoastronomy and these two sites are rich examples. Both exhibit alignments for solar horizon events that are integral in deliberate calendrical systems. The logic of these systems is shown, and this demonstrates that these cities were carefully planned with astronomical knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discovery of an elite burial in Tlailotlacan, a neighborhood of Teotihuacan, gave us a unique opportunity not only to put together a group of multidisciplinary specialists, but to revive this remarkable woman who inhabited, ate, drank, and traveled through most of Mesoamerican. The different analysis carried out provided us with a unique opportunity to reconstruct part of the relations between inhabitants from different regions in ancient Mexico. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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A multi-analytical approach was used to characterize color remains from Xalla, a Teotihuacan palace complex (project Teotihuacan, Elite and Government. Excavations in Xalla led by Linda R. Manzanilla). Color samples were obtained from polished lithic instruments and pigment ores. Those samples were analyzed combining microscopic and spectroscopic techniques. Our results coincide with previous studies in Teotihuacan, with the chromatic palette displaying a predominance of iron oxides such as hematite, yellow ochre and natural earths, as well as malachite, celadonite and glauconite. We have enlarged the corpus of raw materials with the characterization of jarosite and bone white and mica as aggregate. The identification of raw materials crossed with functional analysis of polished lithic artefacts suggests a production and application process for the pigmenting materials that were divided in four phases, from the crushing of the raw material to the application and finishing of the painted surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

San José 520 is a Classic period hamlet of single-family residences in the urban periphery of Teotihuacan, just beyond the southeast edge of the city. Three burial features were associated with one of the residences, AF2. One of the features contained the burial of a single adult, another the successive burials of eight adults and one neonate, and the third held a neonate. We analyzed 29 bone and enamel samples from the adults for bioapatite phosphate oxygen-isotope composition; we also considered isotopic data for another five bone samples analyzed in a separate project. The isotopic results suggest a pattern of birth in the Teotihuacan region and then movement in early childhood to a "relocation" region, the geographic location of which is unknown. Later, probably in adolescence, the individuals returned to live, and eventually die, in San José 520. Without knowing more about the occupation of the relocation region, it is difficult to say what concerns or beliefs underlay this unusual but long-established settlement system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]