Teotihuacan was the first large metropolis (125,000–200,000 inhabitants by the 6th century) in the Americas. The Aztecs attributed names and significance to its buildings but had no contact with this earlier culture. Very little is known of the people who built Teotihuacan, and as a result, much of our knowledge of the site, its art, and Teotihuacan culture is derived from Aztec sources. The city is thought to have been established around 100 BCE, with major monuments continuously under construction until about 250 CE. The city may have lasted until sometime between the 7th and 8th centuries CE, but its major monuments were sacked and systematically burned around 550 CE.

Native America: Cities of the Sky explores the world created by America’s First Peoples. The four part series reaches back 15,000 years to reveal massive cities aligned to the stars, unique systems of science and spirituality, and 100 million people connected by social networks spanning two continents.

**CAHOKIA MOUNDS WORLD HERITAGE & STATE HISTORIC SITE** is the largest pre-Columbian site north of Mexico. At its peak, around 1100, this metropolis stretched over 4,000 acres, encompassed about 120 earthen mounds, and hosted a population of nearly 20,000 individuals – larger than London at that time. The State of Illinois now protects roughly 2,200 acres of the central portion of the Site. Including 72 of the nearly 80 remaining mounds, as some mounds are situated in unprotected portions of the Site.

Settlement at Tikal began from around 300 BCE. In 378 CE Tikal was invaded by forces from distant Teotihuacan (or at the very least trade contacts were established) with a consequent influence on the cultural practices at Tikal, from clothes to art and architecture. In the 6th century CE the power of Teotihuacan declined, and other Maya cities, notably Caracol, sought military expansion, defeating Tikal in 562 CE. However, by the 7th century CE Tikal regained its place as an important Maya city, contemporary with such centres as Palenque, Copan, and Tikal's greatest rival Calakmul. The most impressive new buildings were the massive pyramids known simply as Temple I and II. Along with other Maya cities, Tikal went into gradual decline during the 8th century CE, and by around 900 CE the site had been abandoned.

The Temple of the Inscriptions' interior and Pakal's funerary chamber (light gray) and the Temple's exterior and its basal platform (transparent gray) are seen in this perspective 3D render.

*At the height of its glory, the Maya ruled a territory of 125,000 square miles across parts of Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador and Belize. Engineering an Empire Season 1, Episode 5.*

Tenochtitlán, en una isla cerca de la orilla oriental del lago Texcoco, en el centro de México, fue el centro religioso y la capital de la civilización azteca. La fecha tradicional de su fundación es el año 1345, y fue el centro azteca más importante hasta su destrucción a manos de los conquistadores españoles liderados por Hernán Cortés en 1521, cosa que llevaría al colapso final del imperio azteca. En el centro de la ciudad había un gran recinto sagrado dominado por una pirámide enorme, conocida como el Templo Mayor, en honor a los dioses Huitzilopochtli y Tlaloc. Este lugar, la actual Ciudad de México, se sigue excavando hoy en día, y este trabajo ha sacado a la luz algunos de los mayores tesoros del arte azteca, tales como la célebre Piedra del Sol y otros objetos coleccionados por los propios aztecas de las demás grandes civilizaciones mesoamericanas.

The Forbidden City, also known as the Imperial Palace, is a vast complex of palaces, temples, and courtyards that was the home of China’s emperors for centuries. Located in the heart of Beijing, the Forbidden City was built between 1406 and 1420 and served as the imperial seat of power until the last emperor was overthrown in 1911.