The Mayan Connection

Nobody knows who built the city of Teotihuacan, the largest ancient city in Mesoamerica. Nobody knows why those same people—who numbered about 150,000 at the city’s peak in 350 A.D.—suddenly abandoned their home. No one even knows the city’s real name.

The Aztecs dubbed it Teotihuacan (City of the Gods) when they discovered its ruins in the late 1400s. They assumed this metropolis, with its massive pyramids and broad boulevards, was supernatural in origin.

Recently, archeologists have unearthed some new evidence that sheds some light on the people of Teotihuacan. For one thing, the evidence suggests they had strong ties with the Mayans who lived in southern Mexico and Guatemala.

The excavation is directed by Saburo Sugiyama, professor of archaeology at Aichi Prefectural University in Japan and research professor at Arizona State University. Sugiyama works with Ruben Cabrera of Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History. During the 2002 digging season, the researchers discovered a distinctive burial in the city’s Pyramid of the Moon. The burial contains three ceremonially positioned bodies and jade artifacts that appear to be of Mayan origin.

“The jade objects are especially interesting,” says Sugiyama, who has excavated sites at Teotihuacan for decades. “We believe that some of them came from Guatemala.”

Among the objects is a spectacular jade statuette of a person with realistic features and big eyes. The statue is distinctly Mayan in style.

Jade is a rare material in Central America. The nearest and mostly likely source of the stone is Motagua Valley in Guatemala—Maya territory.

“Some jade objects were carved in Maya style. We know that they were often used as symbols of rulers or royal family members in Maya societies,” says Sugiyama. “The offerings strongly suggest a direct relation between the Teotihuacan ruling group and the Maya royal families.”

The scientists also believe the bodies they found were high-ranking citizens, possibly royalty.

“Unlike the earlier burials we’ve discovered in the Pyramid of the Moon, these three bodies didn’t have their hands tied,” Sugiyama notes. “In addition, they were found in a cross-legged seated position, which is very rarely, if ever, found in burials here.”

Although Sugiyama and his team have found other human remains in the Pyramid of the Moon, they all appeared to be bound captives. The cross-legged position of the bodies supports the idea that the people were nobles or priests.

“The position...can be seen in images in murals, sculptures, or figurines as priests, gods, or warriors in Teotihuacan and other related sites,” says Sugiyama.

The position has also been seen in burials at Kaminaljuyu, a Mayan site in the Guatemalan highlands.

Previously, scientists have found some evidence of Teotihuacan influence on Mayan culture. However, this discovery is the first evidence that the Mayans also influenced the Teotihuacanos.

“The archaeological evidence appears to point towards Teotihuacanos intervening in Mayan politics,” says ASU archaeologist George Cowgill, an authority on Teotihuacan. “But many people still dispute that there was really any significant influence because they were two distinctly different cultures.

“Dr. Sugiyama’s discovery makes it all more complicated by adding some big new pieces to the puzzle,” he adds.

Any additional pieces will have to wait for discovery. Excavation at the Pyramid of the Moon ended in mid-October 2002 because of Sugiyama’s teaching commitments in Japan. Sugiyama plans to continue the digging in August 2003.—Diane Boudreau