Teotihuacan Influence

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In the Mayan society, art was extremely engrained in the culture. It can be seen in various temples, caves, sculptures, and in full size wall murals. Out of the many areas in which the Maya lived, the most influential of these places was Teotihuacan. In many of the murals the same few images are depicted and have been identified over the years by numerous archeologists. In this paper, I would like to examine the history of the city of Teotihuacan and how it influenced the art of the people there. Also in the essay is going to be brief explanations of the god that appears the most in these murals, the Great Goddess. We will discuss her multiple depictions. Also discussed in this paper will be the ideas of some aspects of the society that influenced…show more content…
It has been suggested that cosmology was centered on the importance of sacred warfare and fertility (Cowgill 1997: pg. 129). The city of Teotihuacan was slowly becoming the dominant capital in Mexico. This major influence has reached various area and archeologists have discovered evidence from other sites in the Basin of Mexico that hint at this influence as well (Cowgill 1997: 134). There is also evidence that other cultures adopted some of these ideals from the people who were in the area at this time, however there is no evidence that the people who lived in Teotihuacan adopted ideals from other regions (Cowgill 1997: 136). Research by Pasztory (1992) noted that the people who lived in the area were almost of a secretive nature. She also noted that much of the religious ritual that was practiced during this time seemed to be practiced at the household level. Research also shows that there was a strong state religion presence which played a crucial role in perpetuating the belief that Teotihuacan was the location at where time and the cosmos began and where they could still be found (Millon 1993: pg. 17). During the last century of the city of Teotihuacan, populations were on a steady downward slope and it was declining very rapidly. Many of the buildings were left destroyed and burned to the ground, in the temples the idols were smashed; the city was a complete disaster zone. However within the remains of the ruble, there were murals that were on the stone that had not been demolished and this is how we have been able to gather some information about the Teotihuacan peoples (Cowgill 1997: pg.

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