Nothing says "come on in!" like feathered serpents!
One of my favorite archaeological sites in Mexico has influenced several Disney attractions in the parks as well as movies. This would be the ancient city of Teotihuacan in Central Mexico, located near Mexico City. If you have ever visited the Mexico Pavilion at Epcot Center, well you've seen some references to the ancient city's most decorated building.
Before we dive into the relationship between Epcot's Mexico Pavilion and the ancient city of Teotihuacan in Mexico, let me spend a moment noting some important details about the ancient Mexican city.
Teotihuacan is a massive planned city
Teotihuacan is the largest city of the Indigenous Americas—and when you visit today you only see a fraction of the massive city. It's origins stretch more than 2,000 years ago, and at its peak it had about 125,000–200,000 inhabitants. Teotihuacan became a powerful force in the region we call Mesoamerica, which encompassed modern-day Mexico and parts of Central America.
Important fact! This city is NOT Aztec (or Mexica).
I see this error often in books, textbooks, blog posts, and social media posts. Even some really big name blogs and Disney sites repeat this error. I also see people noting it relates to the Aztec Quetzalcoatl and talking about what the pyramid and feathered serpents means in relation to Aztec sources. It's somewhat understandable, given that the city's name—Teotihuacan, or "City of the Gods"—was given by the Aztecs. But the Aztecs never ever met the people of Teotihuacan. The city was abandoned for hundreds of years before the Aztecs migrated to the Basin of Mexico. We actually have no idea what the people of Teotihuacan called their city—or themselves. Or that feathered serpent. Using Aztec sources is also tricky and problematic.
Teotihuacan is the most visited archaeological site in Mexico (well, besides Chichén Itzá on the Yucatán Peninsula).
Why is that? Well...
Imagine gigantic pyramids that stretch toward the sky and colorful murals of gods and warriors and animals that decorate apartment complexes and other buildings.
Teotihuacan flourished from 100 BCE to 500 CE. It had an extraordinary burst of construction activity between 50 CE and 250 CE, transforming the city with monumental buildings like giant pyramids. There are three main pyramids in the city's core: the Pyramid of the Sun, the Pyramid of the Moon, and the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent. They all can be found off the main street that runs through the city, now called the Avenue of the Dead.
What's so special about the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent?
The Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent is the smallest of the three, but it’s covered in sculptures that were brightly painted. It dates to 150–250 CE. This is the building that influenced Disney Imagineers as they created the Mexico Pavilion at Epcot. The Feathered Serpent Pyramid may not be the biggest but it is the most ornate building at Teotihuacan, and by some accounts in Mesoamerica. It has feathered serpent heads projecting from it, alongside other forms. The central staircase also has feathered serpent heads project from it, which are tenon heads. What does that mean? Well that’s a story for another time, but in general the building had associations with time, sacrifice, and warfare.
Epcot's Mexico Pavilion and the ancient city of Teotihuacan in Mexico
The projected feathered serpent heads that flank the stairway are what Imagineers adapted for Epcot to adorn the exterior of wonky pyramid of the Mexico Pavilion (more on the wonky/not entirely Mesoamerican pyramid in another post!). But like at Teotihuacan, Imagineers used them on the staircases (plural) here, but it is not a 1:1 match.
The general pyramid structure is decidedly NOT from Teotihuacan.
Fun observation: when plants used to appear on the Pavilion's exterior, it was more like the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, which was an odd mashup—very not Mesoamerican. But pretty!
I do enjoy that Imagineers didn't solely borrow from Maya or Aztec art to create the Mexico Pavilion, instead also looking to Teotihuacan. It's an incredibly important site, and it deserves more recognition. In my opinion, it should be taught in all K-12—an enormous city, built on a grid plan, with huge apartment complexes here in the Americas that is more than 2,000 years old!
Fun fact: The Aztecs named the city as City of the Gods because they believed this was the birthplace of the gods. It makes sense: wouldn't you be impressed to see enormous buildings that clearly were made a long time ago? According to Aztec mythology, the current sun was created at this ancient place.
Now I could go on about why I think these elements were added to the building and how it affects our understanding of Mexican culture—but that is for another post!
If you've enjoyed learning about Epcot and Teotihuacan, then you will definitely enjoy my other posts and newsletter that dives into more Disney art history!
Learn more!
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has a short essay that focuses on Teotihuacan with some lovely photos.
You can learn more about Mesoamerican art over at ARTSQ, where I work!
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