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Pyramids in Teotihuacan (MEXICO)
Mexico is full of archeological sites, however one of the most visited ones is the ancient city of Teotihuacan. This impressive site is important for both the magnitude of its scale and the size of the Pyramid of the Sun which the third largest pyramid in the world. You walk through the Calle de los Muertos (Street of the Dead) for 4 kms, a worth it promenade once temples, palaces and platforms were located. Some of the remains such as the very well preserved walls in the Palace of the Jaguars and the sculptures in the Temple of Quetzalcoatl will impress you.
We began our journey to Teotihuacan with a 40 minutes drive by car from the center of the city of New Mexico and when we reached the site we were immensely surprised to notice how big this ancient city site was. This magnificent prehispanic city was once one of the most important in the mesoamercan world and still maintained the Square Quetzalcoatl (the aztec deity: The feathered serpent ) , the temple of the plumed serpent, the pyramid of the sun and the palace of Quetzal-butterfly.
Information of Teotihuacan
Teotihuacán was a large settlement by 150BC, its importance probably arising from a cave system with religious significance, located underneath the present day Pyramid of the Sun. As other settlements in the area diminished, Teotihuacán flourished and became a religious and economic center, controlling the region’s production of obsidian (the black stone used to make weapons and utensils).
Our Climb
Before initiating our climb to the Pyramid of The Sun, we were informed that the sides of the pyramid were 700 feet long, and that it was 200 feet high. The pyramid was actually a succession of the pyramids built one on top the other over the centuries.
The pyramids and many other structures at Teotihuacan were stepped, rather than smooth sided like the Egyptian pyramids, and the stones of which they were made were not so large that there would be a mystery about how they were moved as there is with the Egyptian pyramids. At its peak time - most of Teotihuacan was plastered, and the pyramids were painted bright red.
The priests who served this temple had a panoramic view of a remarkable urban complex. In the morning, they could look westward, down to the long plaza in front of their pyramid and to the Street of the Dead. In the rising sunlight, this vast structure cast long shadows be low. The priests could see the small temple at its summit, but the figures of their colleagues there were dwarfed by the scale of the pyramid under them.
What we were not prepared for, was the lots of walking and climbing here, especially the climbing; the more higher we climbed the Pyramid of the Sun the more tired we got. So… beware if you have a heart condition and take all precautions for weather changes: Down there its sunny, up there its rainy!... Never ever forget your refreshments and your sun hat.
Mexico Tours
Get a ride in Xochimilco. The Venice of Mexico