True cities were rare in the New World, but the greatest of them all was Teotihuacán. The Aztecs who would rule 800 years later held the city in awe, and the Aztec ruler, Moctezuma made pilgrimages there. The Aztecs believed that civilization began at Teotihuacán, and that the city had been populated by 'wise men, knowers of occult things, possessors of traditions.' The huge pyramids at Teotihuacán were believed by the Aztecs to have been built by the gods, as it was inconceivable that they had been built by men. Laid out on a grid, Teotihuacán had mile long boulevards anchored at either end by the temples to the sun, moon, and to Quetzalcoatl. The name Quetzalcoatl literally means 'feathered serpent' (quetzal = bird, coatl = snake), and the serpent may represent a symbol of renewal and regeneration (just as a snake will shed its skin). Quetzalcoatl was a major deity at Teotihuacán, and a large pyramid was dedicated to the worship of this god of vegetation. In later Aztec times, the god became associated with the invention of the calendar, the writing of books, the protection of craftsmen. The god was associated with the evening star, Venus, as well as death and rebirth. Human sacrifices were never made to Quetzalcoatl, only birds, butterflies and snakes.. His temple at Teotihuacán is decorated with butterflies. The legend tells that Quetzalcoatl was expelled by the evil god of the night, and was forced to flee on a raft of snakes into the Atlantic. He promised to return to the land of Teotihuacán in the year One Reed. As fate would have it, centuries later, when the Spanish conquistador, Hernan Cortez landed on the shores of Mexico, it was the year One Reed in the Aztec calendar, and Moctezuma, taking Cortez for Quetzalcoatl, welcomed the Spaniard and his men into the heart of the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan. The rest is well known.
This tripod vase is typical of the ceramics of Teotihuacán, and this shape would influence much of later Mesoamerican pottery. Here we see an image of the feathered serpent, Quetzalcoatl with his characteristic bifurcated tongue, with drops of water. The vessel was coil built, like all Mesoamerican ceramics, and decorated with a sgraffito design through a black slip. Just as the Greek potters had done in black figure ware, the details of the design are sgraffito.
Tripod Vase with Sgraffito design of Quetzalcoatl from Teotihuacán, Earthenware
Classic period, 600-750 CE
