The center of the Mesoamerican universe lies twenty kilometers northeast of Mexico City in the ancient city of Teotihuacán. Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, the site receives 4.5 million visitors annually. The Aztecs called it the place where the gods were created, and it remains Mesoamerica’s cosmological and spiritual heart.
As part of their Proposal Development Grant, the “Portal to the Ancient City of Teotihuacán” team traveled there to focus on the third largest pyramid in the city: Templo de Quetzalcóatl, or Temple of the Feathered Serpent, named after the deity which can be seen depicted in sculptures along the pyramids external walls. In 2003, archaeologist Dr. Sergio Gómez Chávez discovered a tunnel beneath Templo de Quetzalcóatl, and over the next 16 years his team of archeologists excavated over 300,000 ceremonial and ritual artifacts. The PDG along with the Michigan Empathy in Point-Clouds Scan-Lab (EIPC – sponsored by FARO Technologies) worked along with Dr. Chávez and his team to develop a comprehensive survey of the pyramid and tunnel using LiDAR scanners and photogrammetry.
Team member Matthew Mansour scanning the Temple of the Feathered Serpent with a FARO Premium terrestrial LiDAR scanner.
Team member Mardy Hillengas scanning a greenstone figure with a FARO Freestyle 2 LiDAR hand scanner in the studio.
The team was received warmly by the people of Teotihuacán but still approached each moment of the trip with humility as novices in the rich history and heritage of the region. Archaeologists, especially Erika Morales Vigil and Manuel Acosta Campos of the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, contributed their deep knowledge of the pyramid site and its cultural significance to guide the teams documentation efforts and enrich their understanding of the profound history embedded in the site.
This Fall, EIPC will become a UM Research Core providing LiDAR scanning and visualization services to faculty across academic units. Looking ahead, EIPC will continue collaborating with the team at Teotihuacán to refine and deliver data, ensuring it is ready for use in virtual productions and public engagement. The team is excited to continue to deepen a humanities-driven understanding of the archaeological site through communicating powerful stories about their significant discoveries and to transform how the world understands pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican culture.
Associate Professor Robert Adams, PI of the PDG, said “This project has been a rewarding journey, not just in what we’ve learned but in the relationships we’ve built, all to bring Teotihuacán’s rich history to the world.”