Much of what's on view comes from the findings found in a tunnel underneath the Feathered Serpent Pyramid in Mexico from a 2003 dig. A wonderful collection of pieces was left inside. It must have been an amazing find. As it's recounted in the exhibit that the tunnel the archaeologists found themselves in simulated the night sky. The tunnel ceiling is covered with magnetite, and on the floor of one room are spheres covered in pyrite. These two substances, gleam when light is cast on them. Groundwater also flowed in the lower depths of the tunnel. So, it created a false night sky.
Deities for the sun, storm, fire and maize are vastly put on everything. The focus of the exhibit showcases the three main pyramids at Teotihuacan: the Feathered Serpent Pyramid, Sun Pyramid, and Moon Pyramid. So much of the objects are associated with their beliefs and customs.
What the exhibit is showing is a very early city of man, which didn't even have metal knives, and it was active. People had lives on the Street of the Dead, as ironic as that sounds. They had a huge city in their time and the exhibit explains how they lived their lives with major areas of social and communal life.
It's looking so far in the past and let's you see amazing work made by hand that was used in everyday lives and places of worship. This is a not to be missed exhibit.
*They even used feline skulls for tribute in their ancient temple, which we did wonder about at what the exchange rate was or how rare cat skulls were at the time. Because we've domesticated cats even before the civilization of Teotihuacan came into being. So just an odd fact that we drew from the exhibit.
City and Cosmos: The Arts of Teotihuacan
5905 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA, 90036
