The Pyramid of the Sun is the largest building in Teotihuacán and one of the largest in Mesoamerica. Found along the Avenue of the Dead, in between the Pyramid of the Moon and the Ciudadela, and in the shadow of the massive mountain Cerro Gordo, the pyramid is part of a large complex in the heart of the city.
[edit] History
The name Pyramid of the Sun comes from the Aztecs, who visited the city of Teotihuacán centuries after it was abandoned; the name given to the pyramid by the Teotihuacanos is unknown. It was constructed in two phases. The first construction stage, around 100 A.D., brought the pyramid to nearly the size it is today. The second round of construction resulted in its completed size of 738 feet (225 meters) across and 246 feet (75 meters) high, making it the third largest pyramid in the world behind the Great Pyramid of Cholula and The Great Pyramid. The second phase also saw the construction of an altar atop of the pyramid, which has not survived into modern times. The Adosada platform was added to the pyramid in the early third century, at around the same time that the Ciudadela and Temple of the Feathered Serpent, Teotihuacan Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent were constructed.
Over the structure the ancient Teotihuacanos finished their pyramid with lime plaster imported from surrounding areas, on which they painted brilliantly colored murals. While the pyramid has endured for centuries, the paint and plaster have not and are no longer visible. Few images are thought to have been included in the mural decorations on the sides of the pyramid. Jaguar heads and paws, stars, and snake rattles are among the few images associated with the pyramids.
It is thought that the pyramid venerated a deity within Teotihuacan society but the destruction of the temple on top of the pyramid, by both deliberate and natural forces prior to the archaeological study of the site, has so far prevented identification of the pyramid with any particular deity. Some scholars have suggested that the deity of the pyramid was the Great Goddess, one of two major Teotihuacan deities and one of the few goddesses in ancient Mesoamerica. However, little evidence exists to support this theory.
[edit] Modern investigations
The first major archaeological excavation of the site was done by Leopoldo Batres in 1906. Batres supervised restoration of the Pyramid for the 1910 centennial of Mexican independence. Some aspects of Batres' reconstruction of the pyramid have been questioned by later archaeologists. Subsequent excavations of Teotihuacan have continued to the present. In 1925 Pedro Dosal discovered skeletons at the 4 corners of the foundations of the temple, which he interpreted as human sacrifices at the dedication of the temple.
[edit] Structure location and orientation
The orientation of the structure may hold some anthropological significance. The pyramid is oriented slightly northwest of the horizon point of the setting sun on two days a year, August 12 and April 29, which are about one divinatory calendar year apart for the Teotihuacanos. The day of August 12 is significant because it would have marked the date of the beginning of the present era and the initial day of the Maya long count calendar. In addition, many important astrological events can be viewed from the location of the pyramid that are important in terms of both agriculture and belief systems of the ancient society.
The pyramid was built over a man-made tunnel leading to a "cave" located six meters down beneath the center of the structure. Originally this was believed to be a naturally formed lava tube cave and interpreted as possibly the place of Chicomoztoc, the place of human origin according to Nahua legends. More recent excavations have suggested that the space is man-made instead, and could have served as a royal tomb.[1] Recently scientists have used muon detectors to try to find other chambers within the interior of the pyramid, but substantial looting has prevented the discovery of a function for the chambers in Teotihuacan society.
[edit] Recovered artifacts
Only a few caches of artifacts have been found in and around the pyramid. Obsidian arrowheads and human figurines have been discovered inside the pyramid and similar objects have been found at the nearby Pyramid of the Moon and Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent in the Ciudadela. These objects may have represented sacrificial victims. In addition, burial sites of children have been found in excavations at the corners of the pyramid. It is believed that these burials were part of a sacrificial ritual dedicating the building of the pyramid.
金字塔太阳是最大的建设的特奥蒂瓦坎和最大的一次中美洲。大道沿途发现的死，在与月亮金字塔和休达德拉，在阴影下，大规模的山区塞罗戈多，金字塔是一个大型复杂的城市的心脏。
1历史:
金字塔的名字来自于太阳的阿兹特克人，谁访问的特奥蒂瓦坎城百年后，被遗弃的;名字被给金字塔的Teotihuacanos不明。它建于两个阶段进行。第一施工阶段，大约100个广告，把金字塔的规模几乎是今天。第二轮的建设完成，导致其规模七百三十八英尺（ 225米）之间和二百四十六英尺（ 75米）高，使之成为第三大金字塔背后的世界大金字塔的乔卢拉和大金字塔。第二阶段也看到建造祭坛之上的金字塔，这并没有存活到近代。该平台是Adosada添加到金字塔中的第三个世纪初，在差不多同一时间，该休达德拉和寺的羽毛蛇，特奥蒂瓦坎金字塔的建造羽毛蛇。
在结构古代Teotihuacanos完成了他们的金字塔与石灰石膏进口周边地区，对这些壁画彩绘色泽。虽然金字塔已经历几百年，油漆和石膏还没有和不再可见。几张图片被认为已包括在壁画装饰双方的金字塔。捷豹元首和熊掌，星星，蛇摇铃属于少数图像与金字塔。
据认为，金字塔崇敬神的社会，但在特奥蒂瓦坎的破坏寺庙顶部的金字塔，都故意和自然力量之前，考古研究的网站，至今无法查明的金字塔与任何特定神。有学者认为，神的大金字塔是女神，有两种主要的特奥蒂瓦坎神为数不多的女神在古代中美洲。然而，几乎没有证据支持这一理论。
现代调查:
第一次重大考古发掘的网站是由莱奥波尔多巴特雷斯于1906年。巴特雷斯监督恢复金字塔的1910年墨西哥独立100周年。某些方面的巴特雷斯'重建金字塔一直质疑后考古学家。随后的发掘中的特奥蒂瓦坎一直持续至今。佩德罗背于1925年发现的4具尸骨角落的基础寺，他解释为人类牺牲的奉献精神寺。
结构的位置和方向:
方向的结构可能会举行一些人类学意义。金字塔是面向略西北豪华点的夕阳两天，每年8月12日和4月29日，这是一个占卜除了历年的Teotihuacanos 。这一天的8月12日是重要的，因为这将有显着的日期开始和当今时代的最初每天玛雅人长历法。此外，许多重要的星象事件可以被视为由所在地的金字塔是重要的两方面的农业和信仰体系的古代社会。
金字塔建造一个人为的隧道导致了“洞穴”位于六米下跌下方的中心结构。原来这个被认为是一个自然形成的熔岩管洞穴，并解释为可能的地点Chicomoztoc ，地点的人类起源据Nahua传说。最近发掘表明，空间是人为相反，并可能担任皇家陵墓。 [ 1 ]最近，科学家利用介子探测器，试图寻找其他商会的内部金字塔，但大量掠夺阻止他们发现了一个函数的分庭特奥蒂瓦坎社会。
回收文物:
只有少数几个暗藏的文物被发现和周围的金字塔。黑曜石箭头和人力俑内已发现的金字塔和类似的物体被发现在附近的月亮金字塔和金字塔的羽毛蛇在休达德拉。这些对象可能代表牺牲品。此外，墓地的儿童被发现有挖掘在角落的金字塔。据认为，这些墓葬的一部分祭祀仪式奉献建设的金字塔。