The civilization that thrived in Teotihuacan during the Classic period holds a distinctive position in Mesoamerican history. Today, it continues to represent Mexico’s rich heritage and is among the most frequented archaeological locations in the Americas. However, inquisitive tourists often find that the ethnic and linguistic connections of the Teotihuacanos are still a mystery. While the deciphering of other Mesoamerican writing systems has unveiled significant insights about dynasties and historical occurrences, researchers have yet to extract information about Teotihuacan society from their own written artifacts. The topic of writing in Teotihuacan indeed provokes several intriguing questions. Do the symbols depicted in the images of Teotihuacan represent a form of writing? If they do, what was their purpose? Were they created to be understood irrespective of language? If they indicated a specific language, which one was it? Researchers Magnus Pharaoh Hansen and Christopher Helmke from the University of Copenhagen suggest that Teotihuacan writing shares fundamental characteristics with other Mesoamerican writing systems, including the utilization of logograms based on rebus principles and a technique termed “double spelling.” They contend that it encapsulates a specific, identifiable language: Uto-Aztecan, the direct predecessor of Nahuatl, Chora, and Huichol, and they offer a new interpretation of certain Teotihuacan glyphs.

Teotihuacan is a revered pre-Columbian city established around 100 BC and thrived until 600 AD.

This ancient metropolis, situated in the northeastern area of the Basin of Mexico, expanded over 20 square kilometers and housed up to 125,000 residents while engaging with other Mesoamerican cultures.

The identities of Teotihuacan’s builders and their relationships to subsequent populations remain uncertain. The reasons behind the city’s abandonment also spark debate, with theories ranging from foreign invasion, civil strife, ecological disaster, or a combination of these factors.

“There are numerous distinct cultures in Mexico, some linked to specific archaeological traditions, while others remain ambiguous. Teotihuacan exemplifies such a case,” stated Dr. Pharaoh Hansen.

“The languages they spoke and their links to later cultures are still unknown.”

“One can easily identify the Teotihuacan culture when compared to modern cultures,” added Dr. Helmke.

“For instance, the remains of Teotihuacan suggest that parts of the city were occupied by the more widely recognized Maya civilization.”

The ancient inhabitants of Teotihuacan left a collection of symbols, primarily through wall murals and decorative ceramics.

For years, researchers have debated whether these symbols represent an actual written language.

The authors assert that the inscriptions on Teotihuacan’s walls indeed record a language that is a linguistic precursor to Cora, Huichol, and the Aztec language Nahuatl.

The Aztecs, well-known in Mexican history, were thought to have migrated to central Mexico following the decline of Teotihuacan.

However, researchers claim there are linguistic connections between Teotihuacan and the Aztecs, indicating that Nahuatl-speaking peoples might have settled in the region much earlier and are in fact direct descendants of Teotihuacan’s original population.

To elucidate the linguistic parallels between Teotihuacan’s language and other Mesoamerican tongues, scientists have been working to reconstruct a much older version of Nahuatl.

“Otherwise, it would be akin to interpreting the runes on a famous Danish runestone, like the Jellingstone, using contemporary Danish. That would be an anachronism. We must attempt to read the text with a more temporally appropriate language,” explains Dr. Helmke.

Examples of logograms that make up the Teotihuacan written language. Image credit: Christophe Helmke, University of Copenhagen.

The script of Teotihuacan presents significant challenges for decipherment due to multiple factors.

One challenge is that the logograms may possess a direct semantic meaning; for instance, an image depicting a coyote directly translates to “coyote.”

In other instances, symbols must be interpreted in a rebus format, wherein the sounds represented by the depicted objects are combined to form words; however, such words are often conceptual and difficult to express as single figurative logograms.

This complexity underscores the necessity for a solid understanding of both the Teotihuacan writing system and the Uto-Aztecan language that researchers believe is encoded in the inscriptions.

To unlock the Teotihuacan linguistic riddle, one must be aware of how words were pronounced at that time.

This is why the researchers are focusing on various aspects concurrently. They are reconstructing the Uto-Aztecan language, a formidable challenge in its own right, while applying this ancient language to interpret the Teotihuacan texts.

“In Teotihuacan, pottery with inscriptions continues to be unearthed, and we anticipate that many more wall paintings will be discovered in the future,” remarked Dr. Pharaoh Hansen.

“The scarcity of additional text clearly hampers our study.”

“It would be beneficial to find the same symbol used similarly in varied contexts.”

“This would further substantiate our hypothesis, but for now, we are limited to the documentation available to us.”

Dr. Pharaoh Hansen and Dr. Helmke are enthusiastic about their recent advancements.

“Prior to our work, no one had applied a linguistically appropriate approach to deciphering this written form,” stated Dr. Pharaoh Hansen.

“Moreover, no one had successfully established that a particular logogram could hold phonetic significance applicable in contexts beyond its primary meaning.”

“Through this process, we have developed a method that can serve as a foundation for others to broaden their comprehension of the texts.”

The team’s study has been published in the journal Current Anthropology.

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Magnus Pharaoh Hansen and Christoph Helmke. 2025. Language of Teotihuacan. Current Anthropology 66(5); doi: 10.1086/737863