Teotihuacan: Where One Becomes a God

The ancient city of Teotihuacan is one of the greatest cities ever constructed in the Americas. It was a city that was remembered by subsequent cultures long after it was abandoned. Because it was never inhabited again, archaeologists can explore the entire city and try to reconstruct the life and history of this magnificent site. Let’s find out what made Teotihuacan such a spectacular city and culture.
Special thanks to MajoraZ and Hunter Itzkowitz for assisting in research and in photo use. Thank you to Daniel Parada and David Romero for their digital reconstructions. Also thanks to Yan Garcia of the channel CanalNahuatl for all the Nahuatl reading.
Patreon: / ancientamericas
Facebook: / ancientamericas​
CanalNahuatl: / @canalnahuatl3539
Sources and Bibliography: docs.google.com/document/d/1W...

[@velociraptor68]

Much better than previous misinformation (by others), which clearly confused Teotihuacan with Tenochtitlan, which was a different culture over a thousand years later. I was embarrassed to watch that earlier posting, which had hundreds of thousands of views. Thank you for this more accurate historical rendering.

[@electroflame6188]

lmao What video was that?

[@MajoraZ]

Which video? Point me to them and I'll post corrections in the comments.

[@dazdavis7896]

Tenochtitlan is supposed to be the Aztec ancestors’ homeland, their home city. It wasn’t later it was earlier.

[@dylancan69]

Tenochtitlan was the more ancient of the 2 however?....in fact I've heard it speculated by researchers and in lectures done by Rob Shiba and the like that it might even be the 1st city ever built by man...Cain built a city and named it after his son as soon as he left The Lord's presence tENOCHtitlan

[@velociraptor68]

@@dylancan69 Teotihuacan was much older by many centuries. Check your facts, sir or ma'am.

[@stevenv6463]

I have to say as a Mexican that we have some of the most interesting history. I just wish we had more prehispanic written records.

[@AncientAmericas]

I agree.

[@N8_R]

You did. It was on clay pots. My Conquistador cousins ordered all the pots broken and piled up, then brambles plantes on top. I am sorry. We will all be poorer forever because of this crime.

[@FF-pi9fq]

When I think of native Americans I've never thought of "Huge urban centers with ethnic neighborhoods." Just fascinating stuff.

[@AncientAmericas]

Not all Native American live in tipis.

[@jonathanwilliams1065]

@@AncientAmericas or longhouses

[@Daysleeper3]

Yeah, that is basically most of Mexico City still today, tho'...

[@octaviogutierrez9158]

And there's more cities like Teotihuacan in the timeline of Precolumbian america, like Tikal, Tenochtitlan, Cahokia, Cusco, Chan Chan, Wari, Uxmal, Caral, La danta, Palenque, Calakmul, Tollan xicotitlan...

[@jonathanwilliams1065]

@@bunnihanni in the US they mostly did Those that didn’t were dead and buried by the time English speakers arrived

[@garykeenan8591]

This is a superb presentation. I am so grateful you took the time and effort. Pre-Columbian America is one of most important and most neglected areas of study in American education. I hope this video is part of a change in that. Many thanks.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you. I hope that education catches on soon.

[@gamertrub]

Just discovered this channel yesterday and I'm hooked. Sending support from Kenya 🇰🇪

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@JonnoPlays]

Pretty much same story for me. Very good quality channel and the narrator had a nice voice

[@avecam875]

Much Love to mother África from Mexico.

[@spooky686]

Greetings from Chicago, Illinois. This is my people's history. 🇲🇽

[@AncientAmericas]

@@spooky686 nice to see a Chicago guy here! Go white sox!

[@fredriks5090]

America is one of the great centers of civilization and has brought us some of the best things ever; Chocolate, Maize, Chili and Potatoes

[@martasuyapacruz184]

Tomatoes, vanilla, avocados...

[@terriblefez]

​@@martasuyapacruz184 please. We were convinced already and then you state vanilla

[@mrniceguy7168]

It’s not surprising that the average Teotihuacano had a relatively high standard of living after hearing about how there was a lot of economic specialization and presumably trade. The ancient central Mexican economies are increasingly interesting to me. The Aztecs seemed to have continued in that direction, I know they had a large merchant class.

[@MajoraZ]

The Aztec absolutely had a lot of economic power, but the standard of living for Aztec commoners was much lower then for the Teotihuacanos, at least in termsof housing. Most Aztec commoners lived in small adobe homes/huts that were only 1-2 rooms large and not particularly well furnished: only nobles and royalty would have had residences akin to the sort of Villa compounds that were the norm at Teotihuacan.Granted, "Aztec" is a pretty vague term and can mean a few different things(the broader Nahua civilization which is the "Aztec culture", the specific Nahua subgroup in Tenochtitlan, the Mexica; or the "Aztec Empire" as a political unit, which is the alliance of Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, Tlacopan, and their collective subject states, which included both Nahuan and non Nahuan cities/towns) and Tenochtitlan/the Mexica in particular had stricter class divides then some other Nahua cities, but even for the more egalitarian Nahuas like in Tlaxcala, my understanding is the level of housing equality was still nowhere close to what is seen at Teotihuacan.

[@thatdude3977]

Well most of the world depends on their crops s tier agriculturual knowledge and much more... that should say enough i mean even bill gates cums when toting his "corn" plant. He found a new god....

[@chucklearnslithics3751]

All the way down by Chichen Itza there is a cave that archaeologist found a sealed chamber in recently - Balankanche cave. It was dated at having been sealed around 100 CE, during the time of Teotihuacan. I have been in there and pottery abounds. Much/most of it Teotihuacan style and had clearly visible sculpture of Tlaloc and his iconic goggles. Centuries before the Chichen it would appear the Teotihuacan influence was being spread all the way to the eastern end of the Yucatan and Mayan lowlands along with the well documented "incursions" into the southern ends of the Mayan Highlands.

[@AncientAmericas]

Ooo! I was not aware of that! Thank you!

[@virgiljjacas1229]

Correct !!! And those are the post - Teotihuacan cultural influences that academia INSIST and STILL " pushing " as the " Teotihuacan culture " 🤯🤯🤯🤪🤪🤪😜😜😜👎👎👎

[@Quetzalcoatl_Feathered_Serpent]

@@virgiljjacas1229 Makes you wonder how far the cultural influences actually go.

[@virgiljjacas1229]

The origen of " real Ancient America ", could be found across the ocean, before and after Sumer and the other typical " stone builders (manipulation?) as the Hittites and pre - Egyptians, not forgetting the ancient Chinese structure's extremely similar to the " so - call Pyramid of the Sun " and the rest of the complex, the Olmec cities, not mention it in regular history texts and FULL of evidence to be discover. The story is long

[@chucklearnslithics3751]

@@virgiljjacas1229 I find your hypothesis very unlikely. You might be right, BUT you'll need BIG evidence to back up a BIG hypothesis like that. Given the DNA studies coming out now, there's not much or any hint of your â assertion being the likely. Furthermore, both the DNA and linguistic regression models seem to be close in their dating of the American First Peoples splitting off somewhere around ~22k-24k years ago. Sumer is much more recent than that.

[@JersonAscencio]

A topic I'd be thrilled to see is the relationship Mesoamerica had with southwestern cultures like Chaco Canyon! Btw, I write Maya glyphs back in my channel if ur interested, I'm planning to do more things with the beautiful script there ✨

[@doctorgothicc]

Hi! I checked out your channel based on this comment. I wasn't sure where to comment this so I just came back here. You have beutiful penmanship and a wonderful voice. Your passion comes across very clearly over video and made me excited to learn more about Maya glyphs. I couldn't help but have a huge smile watching your videos. Will definitely be keeping an eye on your video going forward ☺️

[@AncientAmericas]

Well then you should like the next episode!

[@AncientAmericas]

Wow! Thank you for such a glowing compliment!

[@OlWolf1011]

Agree with Jerson. The land mass was one thing, geopolitical borders where different. Also Trade was a big deal between peoples in this hemisphere was going on for centuries before Europeans showed up and thought folks on this side where too primitive for such endeavors. Archeology and Native stories prove that idea all wrong - so discovering how ancient peoples interacted has become a fascinating subject to explore! MORE, PLEASE!

[@magtovi]

You mean, northwestern cultures, don't you?

[@josephjarosch8739]

28:00 They should make a movie about this! A warlord named *fireborn* leads an army on a long, dangerous slog through the jungle, against a crafty and well-armed foe, yet emerges on top, slaying a king and replacing him with another. Fireborn and his crew return, triumphant, a train of war-trophies in tow. Hollywood would jump at this!

[@nicolewildman8976]

Hello. I think what really impressed me was the fact that this civilization had no access to our modern machinery such as drills, tractors or even cranes yet they were able to build this complex of huge, impressive and beautiful structures, move heavy blocks most likely weighing tons and excavate tunnels deep in the ground. They had expert architects and masons. I visited Teotihuacan a few years ago and the Pyramids of the Sun and Moon are surprisingly well intact considering their age. Thanks for sharing. It was a great video.

[@Rafael_Mena_Ill]

Tipically I don't give "Americas" youtubers much time of day because they frequently aren't up to snuff with the current data, so I admit I had ignored you up until now, but I have to say I'm impressed with this video and a lot of others you've done! Great Content, instant follow and I'll be anxiously awaiting new content!

[@AncientAmericas]

Wow! Thank you for giving me a chance and for sharing such praise.

[@Rafael_Mena_Ill]

@@AncientAmericas You do need a pronunciation coach though, if I'm allowed a little bit of criticism ;)

[@AncientAmericas]

@@Rafael_Mena_Ill yes I do.

[@eleveneleven1865]

@@Rafael_Mena_Ill *typically* Check your grammar before dishing out criticism

[@smashypeople]

@@eleveneleven1865 oh pish

[@little.bear344]

The ancient Greeks had a concept known as _apotheosis_ and that's when man becomes more than just a man through his acts, he becomes a myth, a legend, he becomes a god. This culture undoubtedly had the same concept.

[@Teporame]

It is not a coincidence that México was one of the cradles of civilization.. Mexico culture is one of the richest in the world, no doubt.

[@AncientAmericas]

It sure is!

[@robertchandler2124]

And it’s no coincidence these Mexicans were worshipping African Gods like in this city Teotihuacan. This narrator explains none of that like his other videos. Which makes it inaccurate. The Mayans agreed they did not build Pyramids but thought ‘God built it’ when they found it. Mexicans or this narrator cannot explain that with ‘conspiracy theory’ or ‘they don’t know’. That’s ignorance. #TheMoreWeKnow

[@nicholaslaport3354]

@@robertchandler2124 what in hell are you talking about? Please do elaborate ahahhahahha

[@robertchandler2124]

@@nicholaslaport3354 Y’all on KZbin dumb it seems: Pesky fact is Olmec Gods ARE African Gods. Olmec heads are wearing helmets wore in Africa in BC when there were no Aztecs around. Aztecs admit it. You welcome. #TheMoreYouKnow

[@robertchandler2124]

@@nicholaslaport3354 Haha! The joke is on you: These Olmecs were African. Olmec Gods were African Gods. The City is named after an African God, too! Olmecs wore African head gear. Haha The joke is on You idiots! #TheMoreWeKnow

[@rotomfan63]

Imagine if the main road of your home city that basically everyone uses at least once a day was called "The Avenue Of The Dead"

[@nicholaslaport3354]

That was the Aztec (Mexica) name for it. We don't know what the Teotihuacanos called it

[@thetalamhclisteach1848]

I think I've been waiting for a Teotihuacan episode ever since I learned about this channel

[@AncientAmericas]

I hope it was worth the wait.

[@thetalamhclisteach1848]

@@AncientAmericas It most certainly was

[@robertchandler2124]

It’s inaccurate because he does not explain how these Mexicans are worshipping African Gods. Olmec were if African Origin who bought there knowledge & built Mexico civilization. Scientists in the 1800s & 1900s knee thus but hid it in museums in the name of Eurocentric White hegemony like this narrator does: Cite history in Anglosaxon vein. It’s undeniable: Teotihuacan Pyramids & Mexico was established by Ppl of African origin (Black). You welcome. #TheMoreWeKnow

[@hateuberalles]

@@robertchandler2124 what

[@Ahuizotl_Yolotl]

@@robertchandler2124 Ok buddy, put down the drugs.

[@habitualforeigner]

So well done! I was at Tikal in 1982 when they had just opened (like, just a few weeks earlier) the district that was probably the Teotihuacano enclave. It had endured long enough for the pyramid temples to have acquired a few layers, and the area was definitely larger than any Mayan delegation precincts in Teotihuacán. ... It is so interesting that the watery underworld theme would be prevalent in the Valley of Mexico, when that theme is so much more akin to the natural environment of the lowland Maya (and maybe Olmec as well?) with karst topography, caves, cenotes and explorable underground waterways. Where in the Nahua heartland is there such a thing? Several sites purported to have inspired Aztlán have multi-branched caves under the principal pyramid, but it seems the watery part is missing.

[@xdeser2949]

7:40 I live in Arizona so I often try to take trips to Native American ruins around the state, and something mentioned at pretty much every single one of them is evidence of trade connections with Mesoamerica because of artifacts such as Obsidian, parrot feathers etc, something someone may not expect when ancient Arizona was pretty sparsely populated when compared to Mexico, Central, and South America at the same time. In that same vein of thought, I was reading something else recently that was pretty striking - In Egypt, an artifact called the Narmer Palette, which commemorates the Pharaoh Narmer (who first united upper and lower Egypt) and was made at a time at very least roughly contemporary, is decorated partly with motifs that strongly suggest a Mesopotamian artistic influence, and this is on something dated to around 2900 BC. It's pretty striking to me how early *extremely* extensive trade networks and knowledge of neighboring (and not so-neighboring) cultures form between human societies, even without the ability to quickly transport goods long distances like across an inland sea or with access to pack animals (like Native American societies lacked).

[@thatdude3977]

They did not lack but excelled. You are blinded, remember who taught americans (whites) a better life. History is but a envious lie

[@Halocon720]

There was not contact between ancient Mesoamerica and Egypt. Neither culture had the shipbuilding capability to create vessels that could cross the Atlantic-early dynastic Egypt was probably limited to fairly small boats (this isn’t the late Bronze Age, when trade flourished in the eastern Mediterranean) and it’s likely that no pre-Contact American culture possessed sails.

[@robertleon4323]

​@@Halocon720🙄 is saying that ancient civilizations had very extensive trade networks and knew each other. He never said that the Mesoamericans knew the Egyptians, he only used it as an analogy

[@xdeser2949]

yup, well aware@@Halocon720, I was simply comparing the example of ancient Egypt having obvious contact with Mesopotamia very early on in its history to evidence of ancient sites in Arizona having extensive contact with Mesoamerica, and commenting on how early those links seem to develop between societies.

[@raider_reaper_4194]

Recently went to Arizona and saw Montezumas Castle and the Tahootie Pyramid , real neat stuff 👌

[@chrisball3778]

Grid patterns seem to have been a common layout in planned cities in ancient times as well as modern- there are grid-patterned cities found in other ancient cultures as well- e.g. in the Indus Valley. I think we sometimes associate them with modernity because so many European cities evolved organically from small villages and have a chaotic street plan as a result, but where cities have been planned from an early stage, they frequently follow a grid pattern.

[@MajoraZ]

I can't speak for other ancient and medieval Eurasian or Andean civilizations, but in Mesoamerica it IS extremely atypical. The majority of Mesoamerican cities had a layout where there was a central urban core, and then radial suburbs: The urban core had ceremonial, administrative, and communal structures, like royal palaces and noble homes, plazas, temples, marketplaces, ball courts etc. Most of the structures here would usually be made of stone and richly furnished and painted, and were laid out in a planned fashion, though usually around plazas rather then a grid or a central road like Teotihuacan, with the placement of specific structures aligned for communal flow and ritualistic alignment so structures lined up with stellar bodies or specific temples could be seen from specific other structures (an example at Teotihuacan for this is how the San Juan river was aligned prependicular to the CIudadela and Feathered Serpent Pyramid, running along one the city's main west-east road, so it would appear to be springing forth as if from the pyramid/ciudadel). In contrast, the suburbs, which surrounded the core, contained things like commoner residences, interspersed with agricultural land/landscaped agroforests/groves, and smaller mini-cores with local "neighborhood" shrines, noble homes, etc. These were usually NOT organized/planned, and spread out haphazardly, though residences tended to still be organized in what's known as a patio group, with 3-4 small residences facing one another around a small patio/plaza. The suburbs radiated out from the urban core and gradually decreased in density, often without a clear end-point, which often makes determining when a given city ended and an adjacent hamlet or town started pretty difficult: Large maya cities in particular had giant sprawls covering dozens to hundreds of square kilometers, linking multiple major cities together into a larger megalopolis. This is obviously not universal, Teotihuacan is one such exception (organized around a central road, on a grid layout; though the urban grid still somewhat represents a "core" and the more scattered structures and agricultural land around it as seen in 3:40 roughly represents the "suburbs" still). Tenochtitlan is another: It was one of the only other Mesoamerican cities, perhaps THE only other Mesoamerican cities, with a grid layout, which Dr. Micheal Smith, an expert of Mesoamerican urbanism, argues is an intentional revival of Teotihuacano urban elements. As it was built on an island (or rather, built on an island and then expanded with a grid of artificial islands), it also had a obvious clear definable boundary for the city limits which is unusual, though Dr. Susan Toby Evans argues that other cities and towns around the lakeshore and on other islands connected to it via causeways can arguably represent a megalopolitan sprawl. There is also still a clear ceremonial district surronded by other adminstrative and religious structures which then you had the commoner residences and agricultural land around on the artificial chinampa islands. Palenque is a third exception. It was founded on a relative flat area on the side of an otherwise steep mountainside/hill, and as such, only really had so much usable land. As a result, the commoner residences were built tightly packed together on a series of acropoli complexes (which you occasionally see in Mesoamerican cities, especially Maya ones, often as part of urban cores with multiple noble homes, temples, or palaces built on top of or out of one another. These are built in an interesting iterative, almost fractal manner, if you want me to clarify on this let me know) around the a few urban cores, and as such it almost looks like a typical "haphazard" medieval european city on maps. One last thing before I post some visual references: At a talk Dr. David Carballo gave, he showed a diagram argueing that Teotihuacan's urban design in a way has a sort of fracal-plaza setup: The apartment/villa compounds often have rooms and patios around a courtyard (which were common in mesoamerican palaces in general, to be clear), and then multiple of these compounds around a communal plaza, and then many of those compoumd-plaza units around...well, what's labeled in the diagram as the "town plaza", which teotihuacan didn't really have, so maybe it's argueing that for other Mesoamerican cities? but they didn't tend to have so many multiroom palaces with courtyards, so it doesn't work for those either... I'll have to email him about it I guess! :p Anyways, some visual references/diagrams for you: - A painting by Quino Marín of the city center of Copan, and then with "zoom out" structure/settlement maps of the surronding suburbs and adjacent hamlets showing the sprawl around it: i.imgur.com/kUHx6o3.jpg . Note the Patio groups of commoner/lesser noble residences in the art. As a disclaimer, there would probably have been a bit more managed/landscaped tree cover then this, though perhaps not much so. In general the further out you go from the city center and the further out from sattileite suburbs inside the sprawl, likely more of it would have been managed/landscaped forest or then entirely untamed jungle rather then entirely cleared land. Mexico, especially the Yucatan is HOT, though, so keeping at least some tree cover even in heavy traffic areas was important. Gardens were a big deal in mesoamerican socities in general. Also, I believe the color scheme and accent/archexctural style of the buildings may be off: the Rosailila temple at Copan is painted primarily red and green with more ornatre stucco/stone sculptural facades and reliefs, but it was also a prior stage/buried underneath structure 16 so i'm not sure if it's style represents what Copan's structures would have looked like at it's height. This cross sectional recreation gives that style to everything though: i.imgur.com/W011rn8.png - Map of Tenochtitlan and Adjacent cities from/for BigRedHair's Aztec Empire webcomic: i.imgur.com/F9LQK3O.jpg . Note that this is partially speculative: While we do know the exact/relative positions of some structures in the city, different maps show contradicting locations, and we don't know the exact locations of most random residences. The locations marked here in the key are mostly known exactly, bar the aformentioned occasional slight contradiction between sources (this is a synthsiis of multiple maps), but otherwise it's speculative. Still, the overall layout of the city, causeways, etc is authentic, and still gets you the general idea of what I described above. - This map of Palenque's layout: www.latinamericanstudies.org/maya/Palenque-Map-complete.jpg ; not gonna get into it here but Palenque is also notable for the sheer amount of aquaduct, canal, resvoir, drainage network, and plumbing systems it has due to there being dozens of springs or or nearby the city and 9 steams/rivers that ran across it. Mesoamerican cities in general often had complex waterworks systems and it's one of the best examples. - "Aztec City Planning" and "The Teotihuacan Anomaly" by Dr Micheal Smith. www.public.asu.edu/~mesmith9/1-CompleteSet/MES-08-AzCityPlan-Encyclopedia.pdf and www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/opar-2017-0010/html . Smith (and Susan Toby Evans, she has a lot of stuff out on Aztec palaces and gardens) are really good about posting their work online for free. Susan Toby Evans even has an entire 200+ page book on Precolumbian Palaces online for free! - The "fractal plaza" diagram I mentioned: i.imgur.com/U41QKsK.jpg

[@sheepbaad]

The youtube algorithim has bestowed me a beautiful bounty. I really appreciate the framing, format, and sources. Great work, and I appreciate putting the context of the city's development in to the video lecture!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@JonnoPlays]

Thanks so much for posting this! It's very hard to get information about this place that isn't full of conspiracy stuff. There are some crazy interesting features of the site that still hold mysteries we need to solve. I'll be watching closely to see if any of it is mentioned in the video and how non conspiracy archeology explains it 👌 💯

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you! Yeah, there's definitely more that will be uncovered. Teotihuacan is a huge site and there plenty that hasn't been investigated.

[@JonnoPlays]

@@AncientAmericas I noticed you didn't spend much time on the lake of mercury found below the site. Also the outer casing of the pyramid seems to have been made with stone that contains electrical properties. Also at the site huge blocks were found that act as electrical insulators. One was even broken up and sold to an electric company because the electrical insulation was better than any material they could find. I'm curious about these anomalies but since they don't really have any archeological value I can see why you skipped past them. I'm speculating they could make the pyramid glow or something they found visually appealing similar to how the pyramids heads flow water under certain conditions too.

[@AncientAmericas]

I didn't come across that in my research. If you got a good source, shoot it my way. I'd love to check it out.

[@JonnoPlays]

@@AncientAmericas Archeologist Sergio Gómez spent 6 years excavating the tunnel culminating in the reveal of new underground chambers in 2003. Lots of interesting stuff found in the tunnels.

[@JonnoPlays]

Basically from what I understand the pyramid is very old. It predates many societies that used it along the way to current time. So there are a lot of human and animal sacrifices inside the tunnels however those appear to be left by a later culture who discovered the pyramids and used them but not the culture who built them. Lots of traces of other chemicals down there too. Pyrite balls etc. Mostly it appears to be used as decoration to simulate stars. Interesting though.

[@gustavovillegas5909]

I knew I recognized Yan García’s voice! His content and books are what have been allowing me to learn my ancestral language of Nahuatl, very nice touch!

[@tim.a.k.mertens]

i really love the level of detail you get into, as it not only paints a better portrait of these places, but it gives me as sorts of specific things to investigate to further develop my understanding. keep up the great work

[@laurellussen3512]

Thanks for this great trip to one of the most striking places this sometime traveler has visited. I found it moving and lingered longer than planned. For some reason I found peace there. I climbed the pyramid to Quetzacotal. I saw broken pottery and shards everywhere. The sunken courtyard decorated with butterflies on the stones echoes the stories of a chorus of human brothers and sisters who lived by sacred beliefs.

[@alangivre2474]

As a latin american, I am extremely impressed by the quality of the research!! There are a lot of youtubers of history, from roman history to chinese history, but this is wonderful!!!! And hard!!!

[@ultravolt4555]

Roman's and chinese wrote things down

[@rodrigoe.gordillo2617]

​@@ultravolt4555the mesoamericans too 😂

[@Tortolo-fs5gx]

Love to learn , I feel that for latin Americans , they erased our history , because in culture being indigenous is a reason to be bullied at school , . I want to feel proud of my ancestors and where I come from 😎

[@BlazRa]

Well in Mexico everyone is basically half Spanish and half indigenous it varies the different degrees for some but as much as you don't like it the Spanish conquistadors are also your ancestors

[@EmergencyChannel]

The superior culture won.

[@elaracuan]

Ishkan kema kuate, me parece de perlas.

[@luizy6701]

I disagree. Latin governments always look to exalt (classic) natives culture to keep their narrative of oppressed-oppressor

[@hou1381]

@@BlazRa not all Mexicans a lot of Mexicans are full indigenous

[@faithnoelle5]

YAY!! Been waiting for your videos to pop off!!! So happy for you! keep up the awesome work!

[@9786oof]

I recommend this channel to all of my friends. It’s so so so good, I listen and relisten to the episodes every night when I’m falling asleep and when I need to take my mind off of things. The narration is so interesting and calming

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@decem_sagittae]

Hey, I just discovered your channel and watched a bunch of your videos. Great stuff! I'm a historian and (non-practicing) archeologist. My focus is on East-Central, Eastern and Southeast Europe in the middle ages. But I've always been fascinated by pre-Columbian American history. Keep up the good work. Cheers from România 🇷🇴

[@Smoug]

that is super interesting, im mexican but would like to be a medievalist. Are there any books you recommend for medieval eastern europe?

[@decem_sagittae]

@@Smoug yes. Check out The Other Europe in the Middle Ages series from Brill edited by Florin Curta.

[@gustavovillegas5909]

This channel is of such high quality, thank you for all the effort and research you put into these videos

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@micaldas]

What a greatdocumentary! Thank you for posting this.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@doctorgothicc]

Thanks so much for the great videos! I think the editing and narration styles you employ are very effective for communicating both the enthusiasm and level of mastery you have for your subjects. I also really appreciate the work you put in to your citations. I've had a really easy time using your videos as a touch point for my own supplemental research on the topics your videos have introduced me too. Thanks again!

[@AncientAmericas]

No problem! I wouldn't call myself a master of these, just an avid learner who likes to share what I've learned. And thank you for noticing my citations and bibliographies! I put a lot of work into those so that that knowledge is public.

[@maykonjunkes6027]

Just bingeg the whole channel, thanks for such fine content!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@treetoker420]

This place is something else...just beautiful energy!!

[@gairmac33]

Loved this video - so well done in all respects. I look forward to seeing all your stuff...

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@PraveenJose18551]

Another excellent video. I love the effort you put toward the visuals and maps, you have no idea how much more engaging the video is with these visuals.

[@AncientAmericas]

Originally, this was meant to be a podcast but I realized quickly that in order to make this compelling, there needed to be a strong visual component.

[@natbvm1880]

I am so happy to find this channel. My interest in ancient American culture was sparked when I visited teotihuacan. Thank you for this awesome vid

[@AncientAmericas]

You're welcome!

[@darklord7069]

This channel is amazing. Keep up the good work, man. You shed light on the beauty and sophistication of the americas 🌎

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@pro5alfa0]

Really good thorough and accurate content. Thank you!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@FOLIPE]

Very interesting, I am happy there's this sort of quality information summarized in a simple fashion online about Mesoamerican ancient civilizations.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@e.777.r2]

Its interesting how the drawing style of Teotihuacan looks very similar to Mixtec and Aztec codices, a video about the writing system that was used in central Mexico, including the Mixtecs would be cool.

[@AncientAmericas]

We will get to the mixtec in due time.

[@giggletitty]

I spent a day wandering around Teotihuican. There are beautifully painted pottery fragments all over the place. So many different styles. Also lots of obsidian flakes and cores. I can only imagine how amazing the stuff still in the ground must be.

[@joelkurowski7129]

Teotihuacan was in fact famous for its obsidian, a peculiar gold-flecked green type that was highly prized. Edit: wow, he mentions it at 9:00 . Very cool

[@finnericson4392]

"giggletitty" 😂 !! That's gold l

[@NathanaelFosaaen]

This was good! I really like how you handled academic debate. Wish I had been able to see this sooner.

[@theflyingcrud]

Already know this is going to be fantastic! All of your videos are so well put together and informative. Thanks for all the great content!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@theflyingcrud]

@@AncientAmericas no need to thank me, truly appreciate the content! I live in the blue ridge mountains, have you given any thought to doing any videos on the eastern woodland tribes? I would love to learn more about them, besides small local museums i see very little historical discussion of their cultures. All the best man!

[@GringoLoco]

As always, another entertaining and informative AA episode!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thanks!

[@anasevi9456]

Brilliant video as always! I learned so much, love the design of the coyote/wolf warriors at 27:15, interesting contrast to the jaguar and eagle warriors of later cities in the region.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@jamisonr]

Just found your channel by random KZbin suggestion, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Looking forward to subsequent content!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@ozlemkarahasanoglu1064]

Thank you for this very good video.The poem at the end is very impressive also.

[@greatskytrollantidrama4473]

#wherethewatergo I've always felt that the city is far too dry, I think if we had the water handling canals properly mapped we could better understand what buildings and courtyards were actually used for. I suspect there were many more water features than is obvious. The reverence of water is almost ubiquitous, but I don't see much in the way of water features there, which is exceptional, in itself. Especially if that culture altered a river to build a city.

[@felipemendez1582]

This is a very awesome place.my wife is originally from West of Pachuca .I visit this place every time I go back to visit her family. I love this place I am always amazed. How this place was built. If you are ever in central Mexico do not pass this up.

[@janespright]

Thank you again, learned a lot of new information from this! Thoroughly enjoyed it

[@AncientAmericas]

You're welcome!

[@voltanzapata8024]

Thankyou very well thought out and put together! Important part of my culture!☀️🌵

[@AncientAmericas]

You're welcome!

[@nnez9009]

I've been reading more and more on the interactions between the Maya and Teotihuacan and I am more and more inclined to believe that Teotihuacan was the head of an imperial power, akin to something like the Achaemenid Empire, interacting with the Mayan region in a way similar to the Greek City-States.

[@AncientAmericas]

Honestly, after all that I've read, I'm not sure what I think. There's very compelling arguments for both sides. For the record, the idea of imperial Teotihuacan is pretty rad.

[@diouranke]

just a coincedence that the nahuatl word for God is Teotl? which at least sounds similar to Greek Theos, and by extension to Latin n romance languages Dios, Dieu etc,

[@smashypeople]

@@diouranke yes

[@oskarblonde1]

No Empire. The concept of imperium it's european. The concepts of god in mesoamerica is wrong. The concept of realms and kings it doesn't exist in mesoamerica. Even the name "city" it's not exactly current.

[@jamisojo]

@@oskarblonde1 You should probably elaborate on that because it doesn't appear to make a lot of sense. For example: "god" is a vague term that could describe any number of relationships with a supernatural being or natural/spiritual force. So, I don't know why it wouldn't be applicable to these dieties. How exactly do they not fall into that net?

[@TanyaH97]

omg...hearing the nahuatl (assuming).....makes me sad. i wish it could have been preserved and taken care of. my ancestors. other people, like the chinese, know all of their history. they know everything. and when they look into their past, they know and understand the language and the imagery because it was never taken from them. what a feeling that must be. im so envious of that. they can produce these beautiful shows about ancient stories and see who they are and where they come from on screen. they can pull poems or novels from the past and understand thousands of years of ancestors words and feelings, but we cant. that was taken from our ancestors AND from us. we speak spanish now. we have to study to understand the words of our ancestors unless we are lucky enough to be born into families so ancient that theyve kept it alive for generations. its just so sad to me. everytime i hear someone speaking nahuatl it makes me long for my ancestry to have survived. i want to understand their words too. i want to feel a part of who we once were too. its sad to know theres a part of you that resonates with something so deeply and it will never be answered. i am them. i have one of their faces. its been passed down to me over so many years and yet...i will never know or understand them. :(

[@finnericson4392]

I love the way you worded that "I have one of their faces" 😁👌 I feel the same way about my own heritage (n Europe) and the physical traits that I have. It's a feeling of like " ha wow, I'm actually one of these guys.." and knowing that people have looked eerily the way I do for a very long time

[@Chaka2nd1]

So glad I found you. Doing some research for my novel, this is excellent!!!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you! Good luck on the novel!

[@AxelElRojo]

I've been there multiple times, no amount of photos can do it justice, it's truly a sight to behold.

[@AncientAmericas]

I hope to see it one day.

[@freealter]

My new favorite history channel just uploaded!

[@AncientAmericas]

Enjoy!

[@freealter]

@@AncientAmericas also your production value is amazing for these long long videos. Thanks for being the best.

[@freealter]

@@AncientAmericas also what do you think about the claim that the city might be named “Teohuacan” rather than “Teotihuacan”.

[@AncientAmericas]

@@freealter I remember seeing one of my articles mention that in passing but I didn't really dwell on it so I don't really have much of an opinion on it and I'd rather not comb through my material to find it. Sorry for the boring answer.

[@Gangamathr]

Hey love your content always informative and relaxing to watch and listen to! Had a small comment on your pyramid comparison, the Egyptian pyramids were originally covered in a layer of white slabs of limestone decorated with hieroglyphs and other colorful imagery according to some Greek sources. If true I find it fun that even though they are vastly different they still share interesting similarities.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you! I did not know that.

[@MMpaintedpalm30]

Your video is awesome! I am looking forward to more of your content.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@melroydmello]

Well made video. Thank you. I'm headed there tomorrow.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you! Enjoy the site!

[@lynnmitzy1643]

Yep, I'm hooked on your videos 👍

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@Operador2281]

Another excelent video!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@JohnWilliams-fc3xi]

another very well done video - thanks!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@dennisrydgren]

Respect. This channel is great!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@soyplebe7]

I'm a world History instructor (I studied literature and culture, not history) I have to say, that as a Mexican I was ready to criticize this video, as often do with other videos similar to this one. I have to say, I was impressed, very detailed and very informative. I was watching and I was wondering if you were going to talk about the invasion to Mayan cities, and boom, you did 😂, I was very impressed. Thank you very much for this video, I really enjoyed it. By the way, just a little something. The Aztec did went all the way to El Salvador, not what whole country as we know it to day, but a part of it, that is why you can find a dialect of Nahuatl in that country called Nahua.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you for your lovely words! They were very pleasing to read. I actually left some info of the Maya invasion out of the video. I figured it would be best to cover it later when we discuss the Maya. And yes, the Aztecs did get into San Salvador but to my knowledge never penetrated the Maya heartland so dramatically. Maybe with more time, they would have but that would have been a very tough campaign to pull off. The Maya are one of history's greatest survivors and they fight to the bitter end.

[@soyplebe7]

@@AncientAmericas thanks for your response, very kind of you. I grew up in Michoacán, but I live in L.A. now. Just to give you a tip (for when you have time). In Michoacán there was and there's a Nation called the P'urhépecha. It was a kingdom (not an empire) that was very powerful, it was the only that were equal to the Aztec (in terms of military might). They were in some type of cold war, but the only two times they fought, the P'urhépecha were victorious. We don't know where we come from, there's a book called "La relación de Michoacán" that kind of tells the story, but not many believes it. We had tools made of metal, we worked with metal actually and we speak a language (I don't speak it) that has no relationship to any language in the whole continent. Some people say it has some similarities with quechua, the language of the Incas, but many linguistics experts say that there's no connection. I don't, is just something curious about the people of Michoacán that find weird and it has something of mystery. Have a great day and thank you for all the work you do, I'll be watching your videos.

[@AncientAmericas]

@@soyplebe7 thanks! Oddly enough, the Purépecha are probably the most requested episode from the comments and they've been on the topic list from day one. I do want to cover them and I'll probably do so next year.

[@soyplebe7]

@@AncientAmericas The P'urhépecha are a mystery like I said, because no one knows where we come from or why our language has no relation to any language in the continent. There's a book by J.M.G Le Clèzio (French Nobel laureate) called "The Divine Conquest of Michoacán", that is the closest thing we have as a "History", but again, no one is certain.

[@joe_0230]

Yet another video that I absolutely love. I already knew a bit about Teotihuacan, but this expanded my knowledge by so much. Thank you! Can’t wait for the next video!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@STxFisherman]

Outstanding documentary on Teotihuacan life and culture. Thank you for sharing.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@BeyondEcstasy]

Awesome. Your videos are really great and is underrated.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@electroflame6188]

Did you _double_ your subscriber count in a single month? Congrats!

[@AncientAmericas]

The algorithm has been kind to me.

[@alejandrocanasortiz9205]

Well done! You did your research quite well. Perhaps you introduce yourself only as a KZbinr, but your slides and information is even better (and up to date) that some stuff in Mesoamerican academic meetings! Let's hope Teotihuacan's legacy endures for future generations. Kindest regards from Mexico!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you! I'm flattered.

[@JenniieeFurrRobles]

I felt the same way! I feel like I’m back in my Latinx Philosophy & Religious Thought class, listening to a lecture by my profe!

[@kampferjimenez]

What a great content. Congrats, your channel is excellent

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@crimsonterror5795]

Fascinating, I wish there were more records about them.

[@stephaniev3.083]

YAY!!!!! A new one!!!! 👏👏👏

[@AncientAmericas]

Enjoy!

[@infinitegodaikinbrent8174]

Wow! Great video! I did not know they had included other cultures as that is certainly not taught much in basic US/Mexico ancient history. I’m glad I found your video. Thank you, merry Christmas and Happy New Years.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you! Happy holidays to you too!

[@zodmorality]

Thanks for this man!!!

[@AncientAmericas]

You're welcome!

[@urbaneplanner]

Nicely done - enjoyed this

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@urbaneplanner]

@@AncientAmericas when you mentioned Michael smith and his work suggesting a sort of egalitarian culture I knew this was pretty good! I am just an interested amateur who has visited this and other sites but I do try to follow the scholarship a little and recall him profiling this research on his twitter account. Keep up the good work!

[@HistoryExplained]

Awesome channel! It just popped up for me and I can already tell that I’ll be binging all your videos!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you! Flattered to see another esteemed history channel leave a comment. I remember when I watched your guys' first video on Narmer last year. It's stuck in my memory because you released it around the same time when I dropped my first video.

[@HistoryExplained]

@@AncientAmericas I’m happy that you remember me from way back then! I just checked out your channel on Social Blade and I’m thrilled for your recent rapid growth! I experienced something similar last September, but I stupidly didn’t feed the furnace and it all disappeared after about 6 weeks. I highly recommend that you don’t make the same mistake I made, but I see that you don’t have much of an issue with consistency so that’s fantastic! Keep up the great work!

[@ronmani9476]

thank you for these very informative videos.... they are well presented and really help to "connect the dots" between various cultures and influences without being too "dry".

[@AncientAmericas]

You are most welcome!

[@damianelizalde888]

Instant subscribe! Idk where this channel has been all my life.

[@AncientAmericas]

Sorry it's late. It's here now!

[@asintonic]

👏👏👏👏Bravo Thank you. Great video. 👍

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@JamesonWilde]

Your channel is spectacular. Thanks for your work! Can't wait for the videos on aztec culture. Do you have any plans on videos on the native cultures in Florida? I live in FL now and am very interested in learning about sites here that I can visit. Subscribed!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you! I do want to cover the Calusa at some point. I'm sure I'll touch on Florida sites as they come up.

[@diamondtiara84]

I had never heard of Teotihuacan before. For that matter, I never knew about those lakes Mexico once had. There's a lot I don't know and I'm glad for the chance to learn. This was the first video on this channel I watched, and it won't be the last.

[@stephaniev3.083]

The Copper Culture video will blow your mind 😁 And the Popol Vul one is the best explanation I've ever come across.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@katanaki3059]

As I watched the description of the compounds I realize this building design is a part of many dreams!

[@ze90s]

Bro your channel rocks thank you

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@LeBehemoth]

I have a confession. I had relatives living a couple kms away from the site. When l was 10 years old l got to see a small part of a room interred in one of their properties. The walls were painted red with figurines in yellow and maybe blue, in what l remember to be a repeating pattern. They said there was also some pottery inside. In the end, the room was interred once more, undisturbed. Just like this, there’s a lot of things left uncovered in that area.

[@allones3078]

Nice I did not expect a new video from you so soon.

[@AncientAmericas]

Me neither.

[@nnez9009]

Fantastic as always!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you! Always nice to hear from you!

[@andreas.u.1667]

This video is incredible. I'm currently developing a story based on Teotihuacán and its mythology, and this video is an amazing overview of everything. And thank you for providing the sources in the description! I am excited to go through all of it and learn more stuff, and I am definitely gonna come back to this video in the future. I've also been going through the other videos on this channel, and I can say that you've been doing an amazing job. Thank you!!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you! Please let me know if you need any help making sense of the bibliography. Good luck with the story!

[@andreas.u.1667]

@@AncientAmericas Shall do, and thank you once again! You're the best!

[@MajoraZ]

You wouldn't happen to be a filmmaker wouid you? a long time ago I had somebody message me who wanted to do a film on Teotihuacan I lost contact with.

[@andreas.u.1667]

@@MajoraZ Hi. Unfortunately no, I'm not a filmmaker. I'm a writer who's working on a YA series mixed with Teotihuacan mythology (similar to what Percy Jackson does with the Greek gods). Still, I hope you find that filmmaker again! It would be really cool to see that film happen.

[@madisonham5384]

Am I the only one bingeing this channel?

[@urielleyva7245]

Pure quality content

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@portalthefella]

great video man!

[@AncientAmericas]

Thanks!

[@igor-yp1xv]

The artefacts and decorations are superb

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@vipza72130]

Thanks you for this new episode ^^

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@nikhtose]

Surprised you didn't mentioned the climate disaster of 536 CE, when multiple sources around the world chronicled a prolonged darkening and cooling that devastated agriculture and ultimately caused the Justinian plague in the Eastern Mediterranean. This moment corresponds to the period of decline at Teotihuacán you describe.

[@Chef_Alpo]

Their carbon footprint exceeded the earths tolerances. Should have switched from fossil to electric, and now we see history repeating itself 🙄

[@capitalg4112]

👀 how convenient.

[@scottfaudree7201]

Liked and subscribed. Awesome work here.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@energyexecs]

...Thank you for the video. I am visiting Teotihuacan tomorrow (July 21, 2022). I watched this presentation in preparation for my visit. I will post my experiences here. Thanks again.

[@AncientAmericas]

Enjoy the site!

[@rigo1124]

I definitely want my child to have a badass name like that.

[@jastermereel4946]

so it was basically the nyc of classic mesoamerica. i wanna see a sitcom set in teotihuacan featuring a diverse cast, like a a maya guy, a zapotec chick, etc

[@uprightape100]

Lovely vid.......Thank you so much.

[@AncientAmericas]

Thank you!

[@larrypicard8802]

I've climbed the Pramid of the Sun three times. Beautiful view at the top.