“Teotihuacan: A Social History of the Early Mexican Metropolis” with David M. Carballo

In this presentation I approach Teotihuacan through a lens of social history, by which I mean an emphasis on social structures and the interactions of different social groups who inhabited the city or interacted with it within a broader sphere of influence. I focus on issues of urban daily life among diverse groups of Teotihuacanos, including neighborhood organization, craft production, governing institutions, and the city’s contemporary relevance as an example of a multiethnic, economically robust, and prestigious place that was the largest city in the Americas for centuries. I will also compare lifeways at Tlajinga with excavated residential zones elsewhere in the city in promoting a more bottom-up social history of the city and its inhabitants.
David M. Carballo is Professor of Anthropology, Archaeology, and Latin American Studies at Boston University. He specializes in the archaeology of Latin America, especially central Mexico, but has also conducted research in Honduras, Belize, Peru, and the U.S., with topical interests in households, urbanism, religion, social inequality, and working with contemporary communities in understanding ancient ones. Current investigations focus on Teotihuacan’s Tlajinga district, a cluster of non-elite neighborhoods on the periphery of what was then the largest city in the Americas.
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[@JMYaden]

Very interesting that the settling of Teotihuacan may have been stimulated by the catastrophic eruption of Popocatepetl. As our lives become increasingly dependent on machines, I think it is easy to forget that the raw power of natural forces often dictates our activities and stimulates our movements. (For instance, during and following the COVID-19 pandemic, many people changed the manner of their movements, from shopping largely online while staying at home and moving out of city centers entirely.) It raises many intriguing questions, such as how animal groups and migrations were affected by the Popocatepetl eruption, and how the water table was affected. Thank you, Dr. Carballo, for making your research available to the Aztlander!