The single-stage "Dance Platform" in the plaza center (not shown in the model on the [link url=http://archaeology.about.com/od/mesoamerica/ig/Teotihuacan/Model-of-the-Citadel-at-Teotih.htm]previous page[/link] but occupying the foreground of the photograph above) surely served some ceremonial or public functions meant to be seen by large audiences but we have no idea what they may have been. One might suggest they included regularly scheduled ritual enactments, occasional sacrifices of foreign captives, or even priestly investitures. When I was there, it provided shade for vendors who, like savvy hunters, wait for their quarry to come to them. One mural painting found elsewhere in the city depicts a warrior dancing on what may a platform of this type.
The four-tiered building behind the "Dance Platform" is the Plataforma Adosada, an apron added on to the front of the Feathered Serpent Pyramid (seen as a featureless mound in the background). The apron covered up much but not all of the front façade of the Pyramid, including its sculptures. Why was this done? Nobody knows.
By the way, if you decide to wander around the Citadel plaza, watch out for gopher holes. Gophers seem to love the area and the holes they dig can be deep and wide. One could easily twist an ankle if not careful. Bad way to start a day at Teotihuacán.
Written by Richard A. Diehl
