An empire's fiery collapse
Around 450 CE, Teotihuacan was the largest city in the Americas and one of the largest in the world. Its population peaked at an estimated 125,000 to 200,000 inhabitants, spread across more than 20 square kilometers. The city's ceremonial center was the Avenue of the Dead, a 2.4-kilometer-long thoroughfare lined with large structures, including the immense Pyramid of the Sun and Pyramid of the Moon. Residential life was organized into an estimated 2,000 multi-family apartment compounds, a unique urban innovation. The city was a multi-ethnic hub, with distinct districts for peoples from across Mesoamerica, including the Zapotec, Mixtec, and Maya.
Then, around 550 CE, this thriving metropolis met a sudden and violent end. Archaeological evidence reveals that the city's major monuments were systematically sacked and burned. Sculptures were shattered, and temples and palaces along the Avenue of the Dead were set ablaze. The destruction was not city-wide. The fires were precisely targeted at structures associated with the ruling class and state religion. The apartment compounds where the majority of the population lived were largely untouched. This selective destruction has led archaeologists to reconsider early theories of foreign invasion.
A cold case 1,500 years old
The identity of those who burned Teotihuacan is a mystery in Mesoamerican archaeology. The targeted nature of the destruction strongly points toward an internal uprising rather than an external attack. One leading theory suggests a revolt by the city's populace against the ruling elite. Years of oppression or growing inequality could have culminated in a violent overthrow of the city's leadership.
Another factor is environmental change. Evidence suggests a period of prolonged drought in the region around the time of the collapse, possibly linked to the global climate-altering volcanic eruptions of 535-536 CE. Skeletons from this period show increased signs of malnutrition, particularly in the young. This widespread famine could have destabilized the social order and caused internal conflict. The two theories are not mutually exclusive; a ruling class unable to manage a food crisis caused by drought could easily have become the target of a hungry and desperate population. After the fire, the city's population declined sharply, and by 750 CE, it was almost completely abandoned.