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Teotihuacan |
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Above: The Zapatista movement were in full
voice @ Teotihuacan. |
About a 45 minute bus ride away from
Mexico City lies the ancient pyramid city of
Teotihuacan, one of Mexico's top attractions. Teotihuacan makes a mesmerizing,
if not hot, day trip and should not be missed by anyone visiting the area. It
is also supposedly one of the Earth's Chakra Centers. I decided to make the
pilgrimage on my second day in Mexico (Sunday, March
16th).
It is thought that the city of Teotihuacan was built
between 250 - 600 AD and at it's zenith, boasted a population even larger than
Rome. Very little is known of the civilization that built these fascinating
pyramids as they, like the Incas in South America, left no form of writing
behind. The city itself was plundered and burned down during the 7th century
and abandoned completely. |
The Aztecs inherited Teotihuacan almost
a millennium later and even gave it it's name which means "the place where gods
are made" in Nahuatl. They believed that this was where the gods had sacrificed
themselves to bring them into the "fifth world". They also assimilated several
of the icons left behind into their mythology: including the feathered serpent
Quetzalcoatl - the god of fertility, and Tlaloc - the god of
water.
Right: Climbing the monstrous Pyramide Del Sol.... the
world's third largest pyramid. |
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Above: The view of the Pyramide de la Luna
from the top of the 70 m. (231 ft.) high Pyramide del Sol. |
I arrived at the pyramids as earlier as I
could, which turned out to be just a little before 10 am. I didn't quite get
the early start I wanted but did manage to acquire some new friends on the bus
ride. A group of 8 boisterous teenagers jumped on the bus midway. As it turned
out they were also heading for the pyramids and had to interview an English
speaker for a homework assignment. I obliged and questions ranged from the
simple, "What is you're name?" and "When is you're birthday?" to the more
complex and introspective "What is you're favorite color?" and "Do you have a
girlfriend?".
Nevertheless, the kids made great company. Despite
the language barrier, we took photos, had a laugh, shared lunch and erm...
drank tequila together! There is such a taboo here in the States over drinking
alcohol with minors but I guess it's not that big of a deal here in
Mexico. |
| We climbed the 248 steps to the top of the
stone Piramide del Sol (Pyramid of the Sun) which offered and excellent
panoramic view of the Pyramide de la Luna (Pyramid of the Moon) and the
surrounding arid environment. The Piramide Del Sol was in fact, considered the
world's second largest pyramid, behind Egypt's Cheops, before Piramide Tepanapa
was discovered hiding under a mountain in Cholula.
The Pyramide de la Luna, at only 45 m, was not as high but still just as
tiring. The unusually huge steps made it a difficult climb. The view was just
as impressive though as we could see straight down the 2km Calzada de los
Muertos (Avenue of the Dead) from the top. |
Above: The view of the Calzada de
los Muertos from the top of Piramide de la Luna. |
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On the opposite end of the sight as the
Pyramid of the Moon, close to the entrance, lies the Citadel. It is believed
that this was the quarters of the cities rulers. Inside the Citadel is the
Templo de Quetzalcoatl, a small pyramid which sported exquisite stone carvings
of both Quetzalcoatl and Tlaloc.
Left: The Aztecs worshipped
the serpent Quetzalcoatl and fanged Tlaloc as the gods of fertility and water
respectively. |
| I left Teotihuacan at about 2 pm. Forgetting
that I was now some 2,300 m above sea level, where the simmering sun is alot
more intense, I now sported a bright red sunburn as well as a nice new charming
Aztec souvenir necklace my eight new friends had bought me. We all rode the bus
back together to Mexico City while downing the rest
of the tequila. |
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