Teotihuacan is a classic era city (100 BC.-750 AD.) nestled in the northeastern part of the vally of Mexico. It is one of the most impressive of all archeological sites in the world, and the earliest large city in the Americas. The name Teotihuacan means "Place of the Gods", a name given to the city by the later Aztecs. They belived it to be the land from which sprang the gods , and from which the cycle of time began. During the height of Teotihuacano civilization the city was over eight miles wide. A large ceremonial center was surrounded by extensive residential compounds with the capacity to hold a population of up to 200,000 people. This made the city one of the largest urban centers in the world., (Paris at this time had a population of 75,000).

The city center was aligned along the north-south axis of The Street of the Dead The Temple of the Moon is on the northern point, and in the easterly direction the monumental Pyramid of the Sun. A pyramid so massive it is larger then the Great Pyramid at Giza. Further along lies the sunken Ciudadela and Temple of the Feathered Serpent complex to the southern end of the site. Over 2,000 apartments compounds provided a practical living method for the people of the time. They were a merchantile and artistic people, and their distinctive art style was imported to areas as far south as the Mayan regions. A fire in 750 AD. ended the influence of this city causing much of the population to abandon the site.