Teotihuacan: City of Water, City of Fire explores how artworks from the ancient city shape our understanding of Teotihuacan as an urban environment. Teotihuacan is one of the earliest, largest, and most important cities in the ancient Americas.

The exhibit features recent, never-before-seen archaeological discoveries and other major loans from Mexican and US cultural institutions. Monumental and ritual objects from Teotihuacan’s three pyramids will be shown alongside mural paintings, ceramics, and stone sculptures from the city’s apartment compounds. By bringing these pieces together, and encouraging visitors to understand the context of specific sites within the city, the exhibition will provide a rare opportunity for Bay Area audiences to experience a significant place in Mexico’s cultural landscape—the captivating and mysterious ancient city of Teotihuacan.

Teotihuacan—the massive archaeological site nestled in the northeastern part of the Valley of Mexico conjures visions of enormous pyramids and long avenues surrounded by mountains and volcanoes. At its peak, Teotihuacan occupied roughly eight square miles.

But there is more to this place than meets the eye. Within and beneath the city’s many plazas, buildings, and monumental structures lie secrets that are only now coming to light.

Teotihuacan: City of Water, City of Fire is on view through February 11, 2018, at the DeYoung Museum in Golden Gate Park.

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Purchase tickets here.