MEXICO CITY – San Antonio is set to celebrate Day of the Dead along the River Walk. In preparation of the celebration, KSAT sent a news crew to Mexico City to learn about the history and origins of the holiday.
Journalists Misael Gomez, RJ Marquez and Isis Romero climbed to the top of Pyramid of the Sun and walked onto part of the Pyramid of the Moon in Teotihuacan.
VISIT KSAT'S SPECIAL DAY OF THE DEAD SECTION
The pyramids and surrounding structures are a significant site outside Mexico City. Here are more interesting facts about the site.
The Pyramid of the Sun:
- The Pyramid of the Sun is the largest building in Teotihuacan.
- It is around 216 feet above ground level and has a base perimeter of 8,555 square feet.
- It is considered to be one of the largest structures of its type in the Western Hemisphere.
- The name comes from the Aztecs, who found the city around 1400 A.D. after it was abandoned.
- Historians believe it was constructed about 200 CE.
- The pyramid is located along the Avenue of the Dead, in between the Pyramid of the Moon and the Ciudadela.
The Pyramid of the Moon:
- The Pyramid of the Moon is located at the northern end of the Avenue of the Dead.
- The pyramid was used for ritual sacrifices of humans and animals. It was also a burial ground for sacrificial victims. Ceremonies were believed to have been held there as well.
- A tomb dedicated to the Great Goddess was discovered in 1998. The goddess is also known as the Teotihuacan Spider Woman. The tomb contained a human sacrificial victim as well as animals that represented warriors.
- It is about 141 feet tall with a base of 147 meters west to east and 130 meters north to south.
- Historians have theorized it was named the Pyramid of the Moon because it could have been associated with water, rain, fertility and femininity.
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