Teotihuacan is the ruins of a colossal ancient city that flourished in the central Mexican highlands from around the turn of the Common Era. The "Avenue of the Dead" is the main thoroughfare forming the planned center of this city, stretching straight for approximately $4\text{ km}$ from north to south. The road is about $45\text{ m}$ wide, and its grandeur allows us to glimpse the immense power of the Teotihuacan civilization at the time. Construction of this road is believed to have begun around $150$ to $200\text{ CE}$.

This avenue connects the most significant structures in Teotihuacan: the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon. Major religious and political facilities, such as the Pyramid of the Sun heading south from the Pyramid of the Moon, and further on, the Ciudadela (Citadel) containing the Temple of Quetzalcoatl, were systematically arranged along both sides of the avenue. These buildings are thought to have once been adorned with magnificent stucco and brightly colored murals.

The name "Avenue of the Dead" was given by the Aztec people who visited the site centuries after Teotihuacan was abandoned. This is because they mistakenly believed that the low, stepped platforms lining the avenue were the tombs of the former inhabitants. However, modern archaeological investigations have revealed that these structures were actually buildings and foundations used for sacrificial rituals, public gatherings, or even the palaces of the rulers. It is presumed that this avenue was not merely a thoroughfare for the citizens of Teotihuacan but a highly important sacred path where ritual processions and religious activities took place.