Teotihuacán V: Palace Murals

Introduction: This post is the fifth and final post in our series on Teotihuacán. Other posts  in the series are: I. 'Where the Gods are Made', II. The Shape of Space and Time, III. Seat of Political-Religious Power, IV. Temple of Quetzalcóatl. 

Jaguar, Tetitla Palace (see below)

When we began our day of exploring the palacios of Teotihuacán, we had no idea what was in store for us, but we were soon to find out. Resting under modest, low-to-the-ground corrugated metal roofs are the stony ruins of residential complexes called palacios.

The residential complexes were large separate stone buildings with complex interior arrangements of rooms, patios, platforms and passageways. Compounds were usually subdivided into units that appear to be self-contained units of rooms with enclosed patio—each unit likely to have housed a family. Each compound also seemed to have had at least one temple in a prominent courtyard for ritual activities.

Tetitla Palace

I have to admit that I didn't think much of the site as I navigated the first stone-paved passageway of Tetitla.

Inside Tetitla Palace, showing mural fragments on the facing wall near the floor, stone walls and corrugated metal roof.
(Richard Seaman photo)

We picked our way through the passageways, stopping to view fragments of frescos—murals painted on stucco spread over the stone walls. I'm not a specialist, so I found the fragments interesting, but not show-stopping.

Jaguar god, Tetitla Palace

At the rear of the compound, we came upon a stairway with nine steps up a wall. Reed climbed while we debated whether it was worth the effort for me to do the same. Reed descended out of sight into a sunken patio All was still in the early-morning country air, then I heard Reed's excited,

"Oh, my god! Jenny, you've got to see this."

So I climbed the stairs—like all Mesoamerican stairways, their narrow steps and steep rise give me pause—then descended into the sunken patio. I walked to the middle, still not getting it. Then Reed turned me to my right and said,

"Look."

Fertility Goddess, Tetitla Palace

I could scarcely believe my eyes. An entire wall of this two-thousand year old structure has survived with its floor-to-ceiling, perhaps 3 m (15 ft) wide fresco nearly intact. The impact is stunning. To my untutored eye, the surviving mural is a masterpiece.

This video clip (15 sec) doesn't do justice to this mural, but it gives a flavor of the setting.

Slowly, it began to dawn on me:

this temple space was a miniature replica of the axis mundi (world axis, or center) at The Citadel. Its patio had been lowered to represent the Underworld, this temple rose up toward the Heavens. Could it be that all these stairs serve to remind us of the Teotihuacano's Cosmovision of three planes: Earthly, Celestial, Infernal [Underworld]?

The visual experience kindled my imagination:

What must it have been like to live in this city? Every wall, every surface, was alive with vivid images of the Teotihuacanos' gods. These images suffused the daily life of Teotihuacán's inhabitants—and most likely filled their dream lives as well.

Those mural fragments on the walls of the family apartments?  Alive with vivid images of their gods. The massive walls that line the Avenue of the Dead? Alive with images of their gods.

Suddenly, the mural fragments came to life, and I was reminded—yet again—of David Carrasco's trenchant observation:

"[Teotihuacán] was not only a container of religious symbolism, it was itself a religious symbol." [Emphasis added]

Atetelco Palace

We visited another complex nearby. Again, we climbed up and down stairways as we entered the complex, whose high point was another sunken patio, but this patio gave way to temples on three sides.

The Red Temple, Atetelco Palace

Here's a video (30 sec) introduction to the three temples, and here's a close-up of the mural at one temple.

I should mention that we have yet to visit three other residential complexes with their mural art, most notably Tepantla Palace, with its mural of the paradise of Tlaloc.

The Fall of Teotihuacán and Its Lasting Influence

Teotihuacán's highly developed mural art is powerful evidence that the city truly was, as the later Aztecs believed, the 'City Where the Gods are Made'. A highly complex, stratified city, the major classes included a ruling elite comprised of political-religious and military nobles; traders and merchants; craftsmen, farmers, and laborers.

Initial agrarian settlement of the Valley of Teotihuacán had begun about 100 B.C.E.-100 C.E. Teotihuacán flourished from 300 to 700 C.E. During this time, the Teotihuacan Empire had important trade relations with far-flung areas of Mesoamerica, such as Monte Albán (Oaxaca) and Tikal (Guatemala).

About 750 C.E., Teotihuacán declined precipitously. The decline is attributed to a combination of forces—first and foremost, crop failures arising from climate changes. These changes would have called into question the efficacy of the priestly elite—whose responsibility it was to assure harmonious relations with natural forces, above all, the life-sustaining rain.

Disillusionment fomented internal rebellions that created political instability. In the light of this disorden (disorder)—taken by the people to be a sign of the displeasure of their gods—a majority of the population abandoned Teotihuacán and migrated to other parts of the Valley of Mexico, just as the people of Cuicuilco had done earlier (150-200 C.E.) when the nearby volcano, Xitle, erupted and buried their city in ash and lava flow.

Teotihuacán's artistic and cultural influence, however, spread far and wide over the Mesoamerican region. When the Mixteca (Aztecs) finally gained dominance over the settlements around Lake Texcoco, they sought to legitimize their authority by rewriting their history to place it in the legacy of Teotihuacán, whose influence is felt to this day.

Still Curious?

Here's Reed's Photo Album of the palace murals with captions.

Here's the link to the Lonely Planet's description of Teotihuacán.

If you are planning a visit to Teotihuacán, be sure to include in your tour the Museum of Teotihuacán Murals at Gate 3, which gives a remarkable overview to these fascinating murals.

I also found Richard Seaman, professional travel photographer from New Zealand ("The Flying Kiwi") now living in the U.S. Here's the link to the post of his visit to Teotihuacán.

If you're curious about Mexico, Richard also wrote a longer piece about his trip to the Mexican Highlands around Mexico City, including visits to the colonial cities of Puebla and Cholula.