Teotihuacan was the largest-known pre-Columbian city in the Americas, and the name is also used to refer to the civilization this city dominated, which at its greatest extent included much of Mesoamerica.
The name Teotihuacan was given by the Aztec centuries after the fall of the city, and is translated as "the place where men became gods". The original name of the city is unknown but recently the glyph that represents the city has been translated as "The place of the precious sacrifice".
The city's broad central avenue, called "Avenue of the Dead" (a translation from its Nahuatl name Miccaohtli), is still flanked by impressive ceremonial architecture, including the immense Pyramid of the Sun (second largest in the New World after the Great Pyramid of Cholula), the Pyramid of the Moon, the Temple of Quetzalcoatl or Temple of the Feathered Serpent, and many lesser temples and palaces.
Construction of Teotihuacan commenced around 300 BC, with the Pyramid of the Sun built by 150 BC.
