Temple of the Feathered Serpent, Teotihuacan

The Temple of the Feathered Serpent

The Temple of the Feathered Serpent is the third largest pyramid[1] at Teotihuacan, a pre-Columbian site in central Mexico (the term Teotihuacan, or Teotihuacano, is also used for the whole civilization and cultural complex associated with the site). This structure is notable partly due to the discovery in the 1980s of more than a hundred possibly sacrificial victims found buried beneath the structure.[2] The burials, like the structure, are dated to between 150 and 200 CE.[3] The pyramid takes its name from representations of the Mesoamerican "feathered serpent" deity which covered its sides. These are some of the earliest-known representations of the feathered serpent, often identified with the much-later Aztec god Quetzalcoatl.[4] "Temple of the Feathered Serpent" is the modern-day name for the structure; it is also known as the Temple of Quetzalcoatl and the Feathered Serpent Pyramid.

  1. ^ "Teotihuacan Ciudadela", MexicoWeb
  2. ^ [1] "In the 1980s several mass graves were discovered under the temple. In all, 137 bodies were discovered, and it seems that the people were probably sacrificed when the temple was built, since their hands were tied behind their backs..."
  3. ^ Castro.
  4. ^ Miller and Taube (1993), p.162.