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Teotihuacan was one of the earliest and more populous preColumbian cities, and the Feathered Serpent was its vital monument, erected circa 200 AD. This work explores the religious meanings and political implications of the pyramid with meticulous and thorough analyses of substantially new excavation data. Challenging the traditional view of the city as a legendary, sacred, or anonymously-governed centre, the book provides significant new insights on the Teotihuacan polity and society. It provides interpretations on the pyramid's location, architecture, sculptures, iconography, mass sacrificial graves and rich symbolic offerings, and concludes that the pyramid commemorated the accession of rulers who were inscribed to govern with military force on behalf of the gods. This archaeological examination of the monument shows it to be the physical manifestation of state ideologies such as the symbolism of human sacrifice, militarism, and individual-centred divine authority, ideologies which were later diffused among other Mesoamerican urban centres.

Indians of Mexico --- Human sacrifice --- Excavations (Archaeology) --- Human remains (Archaeology) --- Bioarchaeology --- Skeletal remains (Archaeology) --- Human skeleton --- Primate remains (Archaeology) --- Archaeological digs --- Archaeological excavations --- Digs (Archaeology) --- Excavation sites (Archaeology) --- Ruins --- Sites, Excavation (Archaeology) --- Archaeology --- Sacrifice, Human --- Sacrifice --- Indians of North America --- Indigenous peoples --- Meso-America --- Meso-American Indians --- Mesoamerica --- Mesoamerican Indians --- Pre-Columbian Indians --- Precolumbian Indians --- Ethnology --- Politics and government. --- Rites and ceremonies. --- Antiquities. --- Quetzalcoatl --- Ehecatl Quetzalcoatl --- Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl --- Ce Ácatl --- Feathered Serpent --- Plumed Serpent --- Quezacotl --- Kukulcan --- Teotihuacán Site (San Juan Teotihuacán, Mexico) --- San Juan Teotihuacán (Mexico) --- Mexico --- Antiquities --- Quetzalcoatl (Aztec deity) --- Ritual murder --- Social Sciences --- Archeology --- Quetzalcoatl (Mesoamerican deity) --- Teotihuacan Site (San Juan Teotihuacan, Mexico) --- San Juan Teotihuacan (Mexico)