The 1st complex that Enrique and I visited was the Citadel. The Citadel includes the Pyramid of Quetzalcoatl, the South Edifice, and a series of Graves. The main attraction here is of course the Pyramid of Quetzalcoatl. I felt mixed energies from this pyramid, both positive and negative. Whereas the rest of the Citadel’s energy felt dull and crude and harsh.
According to the INAH Plaque accompanying this temple complex, the Citadel is a large architectural complex covering 160,000 square meters (1,690,000 square feet). The Great Platform, a quadrangular structure with 15 pyramidal bases, surrounds the architectural complex. The 4 pyramidal bases to the west have stairways leading to the Avenue of the Dead. The rest of the pyramidal bases give way to the Great Plaza, with a perimeter wall uniting this complex and making it a great walled complex. The Citadel includes 3 residential groups:
the Pyramid of Quetzalcoatl or the Plumed Serpent
a large public plaza with an altar at the center and stairs leading to the 4 cardinal points
the South Edifice, located to the south of the plaza
The inhabitants dedicated a large pyramidal base within the complex to Quetzalcoatl during the early developmental phases of Teotihuacan. Sometime afterward the inhabitants covered this base with another building now known as the Embedded Platform. 2 similar residential groups are located on the north and south sides of the Pyramid of Quetzalcoatl. A platform with rooms and stairways limits access to the Great Plaza. The inhabitants built the Northwest Group at the city’s peak and connected it directly with the North Group. Archaeological research suggests that a dominant group existed at Teotihuacan and that Teotihuacan’s focal point and administrative center was the Citadel. The following qualities indicate the city’s architectural greatness:
the restricted access to the residential groups
the friezes’ and murals’ magnificence
the buildings, decorations, and offerings manifesting the cosmogonic and calendrical symbolism of the 5 directions of the universe
the significance of the sacrificial offering to the Pyramid of Quetzalcoatl or the Plumed Serpent.
