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The Pyramid of the Moon in Teotihuacán, México on Tuesday, August 29, 2023. (UCR/Stan Lim)

How animals, people, and rituals created Teotihuacán

Discovery of nearly 200 animals remains is among the most abundant mass cases of animal sacrifices found in ancient metropolis.
By Sandra Baltazar Martínez | | Social Science / Education
Complete skeletal remains of a 1,700 year-old spider monkey found in Teotihuacán, Mexico. PHOTO COURTESY OF NAWA SUGIYAMA

1,700-year-old spider monkey remains discovered in Teotihuacán, Mexico

The complete skeletal remains of a spider monkey — seen as an exotic curiosity in pre-Hispanic Mexico — grants researchers new evidence regarding social-political ties between two ancient powerhouses: Teotihuacán and Maya Indigenous rulers. The discovery was made by Nawa Sugiyama, a UC Riverside anthropological archaeologist, and a team of...
By Sandra Baltazar Martínez | | Social Science / Education
A satellite and lidar image of the Sun Pyramid at Teotihuacan

Modern activities follow the contours of ancient Teotihuacan

Lidar mapping study reveals vast landscape modifications that still influence construction and farming
By Holly Ober | | Social Science / Education
An Eastern Cottontail rabbit

Why weren’t New World rabbits domesticated?

Archaeologists find the answer in rabbit social behavior
By Holly Ober | | Social Science / Education