In 1994, there was an outbreak of violence between the Mexican Government and the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (the EZLN or Zapatistas). Today, the EZLN (Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional, named in honour of Emiliano Zapata) has rejected the use of force and seek to be recognized as a voice of the poor. There are currently 32 "rebel autonomous zapatista municipalities" (independent Zapatista communities, MAREZ in Spanish), controlled by the EZLN in Chiapas: examples of these communities are Ocosingo and Las Margaritas.
Urbanism
Urbanism is the study of cities. Urbanists look at the different factors present in a city. A city is different from rural areas. There are certain things than make people come to a city, to live and work there. There are also certain factors, like where the city is located, that have an influence on the economic, social and cultural development of that city.
Teotihuacán
Teotihuacán was a city in pre-Columbian America. At the time it was most populated, it was the largest known city there at the time, housing over 100,000. This was from about the 1st century to about the 5th century. The city is about 40 km away from Mexico City.
The civilization and culture lived around this city is also called Teotihuacán. Its important position can be seen in various sites in Veracruz, and the area controlled by the Maya civilization.
The name "Teotihuacán" was given by the Nahuatl-speaking Aztec centuries after the fall of the city. Although the original name of the city is unknown, it can be seen in hieroglyph inscriptions. Nahuatl creation myths took place in the city. The Nauhatl name,Teotihuacán, therefore translates to 'birthplace of the gods. '
The Maya seemed to have referred to it as "puh", as "place of reeds". This is similar to other Central Mexican settlements that took the name 'Tollan' such as Tula-Hidalgo and Cholula. It looks like "Tollan" was a general term, used for large settlements. In the concept of urbanism of the time, "Tollan" and other names seemed like a metaphor. They linked the bundles of reeds and rushes that formed part of the environment of the Valley of Mexico and the large gathering of people in a city.
We still only know very little about the beginning of Teotihuacán. We also have not dedicated much time to such periods like the Formative Period. Some believe that this city was built by the Toltec people, but others believe that Tehuatican is much older than the Toltec Civilization.
Archeologists Sugiyama and Sarabia also recently discovered older structures and Patlachique ceramics in the Sun Pyramid’s fill. Studies from their radiocarbon assays demonstrated that the construction of the pyramid was later than what many had thought before. Many now think that the construction began at around 229-330 A.D. If the Patlachique and Tzacualli phases are now this late, the chronology of Teotihuacán will require some crucial changes. No one has applied these changes yet to Teotihuacán's chronology, but it it important that these findings be noted.
What we do know about Teotihuacán chronology is that beginning 150-100 B.C. Teotihuacan grew rapidly due to regional dominance with those of Cuicuilio and relocation of much of the population. Many settlements moved from the hinterlands to the valley floor. Teotihuacán’s urbanism grew exponentially during the subsequent Patalachique Phase. This is also where we see the Moon Pyramid being constructed, which is one of the earliest public structures in the city that still stands today. The following listed chronology is the development and decline of Teotihuacán that is divided into six phases. This is based on ceramic distinctions defined through test excavations throughout the city.
Chronological Phase Approximate Dates
Patlachique 100 – 1 B.C.
Tzacualli A.D. 1-100
Miccaotli A.D. 100-170
Tlamimilolpa A.D. 170-350
Xolalpan A.D. 350-550
Metepec A.D. 550-650
Rapid population growth occurred within Teotihuacán during the Tzacualli and Miccaotli phase. Many believe this is due to the relocation of settlements within the Basin of Mexico following volcanic activity, which impacted southern portions of the Basin. With this population being reorganized, vast amounts of construction efforts began to shape the ceremonial core of the city. Many have hypothesized that the Street of the Dead was established during this time, replacing earlier structures that now underlie this area, and large-scale construction occurred at the Sun Pyramid, the Moon Pyramid, and the Ciudadela complex.
During the Tlamimilolpa period, the city of Teotihuacán began to construct about 2,300 apartment compounds throughout the city. Teotihuacan’s foreign interactions began to retract at around 450-500 A.D. Their level of economic and social power began to shrink by the Metepec Phase, as well as their population.
At first, people believed that sometime in the 7th and th century, Teotihuacán was attacked and burned by invaders The Toltecs might have invaded the city. More recent research shows, that the fire damage and looting seems to be limited to the structures and houses of the higher class or those considered elite. This evidence makes an uprising from the poor more likely than invasion. The invasion theory is also not as accurate, because excavation and restoration work started with the temples, and palaces. All these structures showed extreme fire damage. The archaeologists then concluded, that the whole city was most likely burned. The destruction seems to have been focused on structures along the Avenue of the Dead. Some statues seem to have been destroyed in a rather methodical way. The population in the city started to decline around the 6th century. This supports the hypothesis that there was unrest in the city. The decline in population is generally linked to drought and deforestation. These were linked to climate change, occurring in 535-536 A.D. There also seem to be more skeletons of young people, and more evidence of malnutrition in city in the 6th century.There is no conflict between the theories. Both increased warfare and internal unrest can also be effects of a general period of drought and famine.
A major key that allowed Teotihuacán to become so powerful and large was due to the absence of nearby enemies. However, due to sociopolitical chaos, environment issues that Tehuatican could recover from, and declining population, Teotihuacán became very weak in regards to defending itself from the outside world. Other cities nearby tried to take the position of Teotihuacán. These included Cholula, Xochicalco, and Cacaxtla. They tried to take advantage of Teotihuacán of being weak. Some believe they may have aligned themselves against Teotihuacán to reduce its influence and power. The art and architecture at these sites show an interest in emulating Teotihuacán forms. There is also but also a broader mix of motifs and iconography from other parts of Mesoamerica, particularly the Maya region.
Teotihuacán was a multi-ethnic city, with distinct Zapotec, Mixtec, Maya and what seem to be Nahua quarters. Immigration played a key role in the city’s growth and its variety of ethnicity. This then included ethnic barrios. The well-known Oaxaca (Zapotec) Barrio and the Merchants’ Barrio continue to be the subject of research on the immigrants in Teotihuacán. Due to these barrios, we have found that there was immigrants coming from western Mexico, Oaxaca, the Gulf Lowlands, and central Mexico.