Initial settlement in Teotihuacan Valley
Labels: Teotihuacan Valley, Early communitiesCommunities begin concentrating in the Teotihuacan Valley, laying the demographic base for later urban growth at Teotihuacan.
Teotihuacan: Rise and Decline (c. 100 BCE–550 CE)
Patlachique phase begins (early urban formation)
Labels: Patlachique phaseThe earliest widely used ceramic phase associated with Teotihuacan’s emergence begins, often used as a baseline for dating the city’s rise.
City established; major building program starts
Labels: Teotihuacan city, Urban layoutTeotihuacan is generally dated as being established around this time, with major monuments and the formal urban layout developing in the following centuries.
Tzacualli phase begins (planned urban expansion)
Labels: Tzacualli phaseA new ceramic phase begins, corresponding to rapid city growth and increasingly standardized architecture across Teotihuacan.
Pyramid of the Sun constructed
Labels: Pyramid ofConstruction of the Pyramid of the Sun—one of the largest monumental buildings in the Americas—marks Teotihuacan’s emergence as a major ceremonial and political center.
Miccaotli phase begins (institutional consolidation)
Labels: Miccaotli phaseThis ceramic phase begins, associated with further urban consolidation and major civic-ceremonial construction across the city’s core.
Feathered Serpent Pyramid and Ciudadela built
Labels: Feathered Serpent, CiudadelaThe Ciudadela and the Feathered Serpent Pyramid are constructed as a major monumental complex; the project included large-scale dedicatory offerings and mass burials linked to the pyramid’s initial construction.
Early Tlamimilolpa phase begins
Labels: Tlamimilolpa phaseA new ceramic phase begins, broadly corresponding to continued urban growth and the expansion of apartment-compound living arrangements across Teotihuacan.
Major monuments continue until about 250 CE
Labels: Monumental coreLarge-scale construction in Teotihuacan’s monumental core continues through this period, helping define the city’s enduring ceremonial landscape.
Late Tlamimilolpa phase begins
Labels: Late TlamimilolpaThis phase begins and is associated with Teotihuacan’s mature urban form, including intensified craft production and long-distance exchange (notably obsidian).
Early Xolalpan phase begins (hegemonic florescence)
Labels: Early XolalpanThe Early Xolalpan phase begins, commonly linked to Teotihuacan’s strongest regional influence and the city’s high level of internal organization.
Teotihuacan-linked takeover at Tikal ("Entrada")
Labels: Entrada, Siyaj K'ak'Maya inscriptions record the arrival of the Teotihuacan-linked figure Siyaj K'ak' at Tikal, followed by the replacement of Tikal’s ruler—an emblematic episode in debates over Teotihuacan’s political reach.
City population peaks (approx. 400–500 CE)
Labels: Population peakEstimates place Teotihuacan’s population at its highest levels during this century, with the city among the largest in the ancient Americas.
Teotihuacan reaches apogee as regional power
Labels: Regional powerThe city is widely described as reaching its zenith by the mid-fifth century, when its cultural and economic influence extended widely across Mesoamerica.
Late Xolalpan phase begins
Labels: Late XolalpanThis phase begins; in many chronologies it corresponds to the period immediately preceding the city’s political crisis and major destruction episodes.
Major monuments sacked and systematically burned
Labels: Monumental burningsArchaeological evidence indicates that parts of Teotihuacan’s monumental core were sacked and burned around this time, signaling a sharp rupture in civic order.
Metepec phase begins (post-peak occupation)
Labels: Metepec phaseA later ceramic phase begins after the major burn event, indicating continued but diminished occupation and reorganization during Teotihuacan’s decline.
City deliberately destroyed and largely abandoned
Labels: Collapse andMany accounts summarize Teotihuacan’s collapse as deliberate destruction by fire followed by abandonment over the ensuing period, ending its role as a dominant urban center.
Timeline
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Teotihuacan: Rise and Decline (c. 100 BCE–550 CE)
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