The Causeway of the Dead is a long path linking a series of sunken plazas and staircases that run through the ancient city. It starts at the Ciudadela at the main entrance at Puerta 1, and stretches all the way to the Pyramid of the Moon about two kilometers away. The avenue originally ran an extra 1.5 kilometers south and formed the backbone around which the city was built. The causeway links all the major buildings, with the smaller buildings jutting out of its sides originally (but falsely) believed by the Aztecs to be the tombs of kings, hence the name. No one knows what these three or four storey platforms were really used for, although it is assumed it was for something spiritual. Streets leading to other parts of the city coming off the main avenue snaked off in order to not disturb its straight, true symmetry.

Location:
Teotihuacan, Mexico

Ruin

Relative price: Budget

Travel Skills: None

By Lisa Rodan

Created: 28 Apr 2009

Updated: 30 Apr 2009