At its zenith, perhaps in the first half of the 1st millennium AD, Teotihuacan was the largest city in the pre-Columbian Americas, with a population estimated at 125,000 or more, making it at least the sixth largest city in the world during its epoch.
Apart from the pyramids, Teotihuacan is also anthropologically significant for its complex, multi-family residential compounds, the Avenue of the Dead & its vibrant murals that have been exceptionally well-preserved. Additionally, Teotihuacan exported fine obsidian tools that are found throughout Mesoamerica.
The city is thought to have been established around 100 BC, with major monuments continuously under construction until about AD 250. The city may have lasted until sometime between the 7th & 8th centuries AD, but its major monuments were sacked & systematically burned around AD 550.
Teotihuacan began as a religious center in the Mexican Highlands around the first century AD. It became the largest and most populated center in the pre-Columbian Americas. Teotihuacan was even home to multi-floor apartments & condominium compounds built to accommodate a large & growing population. The term Teotihuacan (or Teotihuacano) is also used for the whole civilization and cultural complex associated with the site.