The city of Teotihuacan is a major example of which civilization’s urban planning in Mesoamerica?

• A. Maya
• B. Teotihuacan (Mesoamerica)
• C. Aztec
• D. Olmec

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is how Teotihuacan exemplifies organized urban planning in Mesoamerica. This city is famous for being laid out with deliberate, grid-like streets and a ceremonial core centered on monumental pyramids and plazas. The Avenue of the Dead runs through the city, connecting key monuments and guiding movement and ritual practice, while residential compounds are arranged in a regular pattern around open spaces. That combination—axial thoroughfares, a planned layout for housing, and monumental architecture tied to a civic-religious center—shows a level of centralized planning and social organization that characterizes Teotihuacan’s urban design.

Other regions and cultures in Mesoamerica developed impressive cities as well, but their layouts evolved differently. The Maya built many city-states with varied, often less centralized planning; the Aztecs created a highly organized capital later on, but Teotihuacan’s grid and monumental core are distinctive of its own culture. The Olmec preceded Teotihuacan and influenced later centers, but Teotihuacan’s planned urban form is the standout example.