Early construction activity is attested by buildings dating to roughly 200 BCE, indicating that Teotihuacan’s ceremonial and civic core began forming well before its Classic-period peak.
Teotihuacan began developing into a major settlement in the Basin of Mexico around 100 BCE, setting the stage for later planned urban expansion and monument building.
Between about 100–250 CE, Teotihuacan erected much of its monumental architecture, including large pyramids and formalized precincts, reflecting increasing political and economic integration.
The Ciudadela and Feathered Serpent Pyramid were built circa 150–250 CE, creating a highly planned, symbolically charged ceremonial-political complex within Teotihuacan’s urban grid.
Archaeological excavations found large-scale sacrificial burials beneath the Feathered Serpent Pyramid—dated broadly to 150–200 CE—highlighting the role of state ritual, militarism, and display in early Teotihuacan.
The Pyramid of the Sun was built in major phases; a principal early construction stage is commonly dated to around 200 CE, when it reached close to its near-final form.
From roughly 250–550 CE, Teotihuacan expanded and standardized apartment compounds (multi-family residential complexes), a hallmark of its urban organization and social structure.
Maya inscriptions document the arrival of Siyaj Kʼakʼ at Tikal on 378 CE-01-16, initiating political change associated with Teotihuacan and catalyzing Teotihuacan-style imagery and practices in the Maya lowlands.
By around 400–450 CE, Teotihuacan had become the largest city in the ancient Americas, with wide-reaching economic and cultural influence across Mesoamerica.
Around 550 CE, Teotihuacan’s core monuments were systematically burned, signaling a major political rupture and accelerating demographic and institutional decline.
After 600 CE, Teotihuacan’s population dropped sharply and the city’s regional dominance waned, even as some occupation continued for centuries within and around the ruins.
The Pre-Hispanic City of Teotihuacan was placed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1987, recognizing its outstanding universal value and supporting long-term conservation frameworks.
In 2003, archaeologists (INAH) discovered a sealed man-made tunnel beneath the Temple of the Feathered Serpent after heavy rains exposed a sinkhole, opening a major new line of evidence for Teotihuacan ritual and elite practice.
Teotihuacan civilization (c. 100 BCE–550 CE)
