If you can’t get your tongue around pronouncing Teotihuacán (tee-oh-tee-wah-KAHN) while in Mexico City, then just say you want to visit “the pyramids.” Most of the other pyramids in this area are gone. Either they were dismantled (the stones used to build Spanish colonial churches) or they were used as a base for other colonial buildings built on top – religious or administrative.
The pyramids of TeotihuacanTeotihuacan – the Aztec were just squatters
Because the grand structures of Teotihuacan (spelled Teotihuacán locally and in guidebooks) were far outside of the city, they were left alone. Now restored to much of their former glory, these two giant pyramids and dozens of other structures date from AD 150 to AD 650. At the time of its peak, the civilization here numbered at least 125,000 – making it one of the largest cities in the world at the time and definitely the largest in the Americas. (Viator offers tours of Teotihuacan, with pickup from your hotel.)
Despite this, there is still a lot of mystery around Teotihuacan. Most people think it’s an Aztec site, but the Aztec were really just squatters. The buildings went up well before their rein but were abandoned around AD 800, before the Aztec even existed. Fights with rival civilizations contributed to the decline, but with no writing system in place, there’s no record of what else lead to the city’s complete abandonment. As with many other Mesoamerican sites, drought or water table declines may have played a factor.
Seen Tikal and Chichen Itza? Teotihuacan will still impress
Even if you’ve toured the big daddy ruins like Tikal and Chichen Itza, Teotihuacan will probably still make your jaw drop. Everything here is built on a grand scale, starting with the giant Pyramid of the Sun and Pyramid of the Moon. The “Avenue of the Dead” entrance road is lined with stepped buildings that go on for two kilometers. You can climb to the top of the largest pyramid and most tours allow ample free time to explore and wander.
Teotihuacan – it will impressThe Pyramid of the Sun is the third-largest pyramid in the world and its base is roughly the same size as that of the Great Pyramid of Cheops in Egypt. This city, which originally occupied eight square miles, is meticulously planned, a fact that is clearly evident from ground level or when looking down from the plateau on top of one of the pyramids.
Virgin of Guadalupe
The archeological park is around 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the Mexico City center, but to break up the trip most excursions stop at the shrine to the Virgin of Guadalupe. If the word “shrine” has you picturing a quaint little grotto with a few offerings, put that image right out of your mind.
The shrine has moved twice and the holy shroud imprinted with the divine image (looking suspiciously like a 16th-century Spanish oil painting) is now on display above a people-mover treadmill, in a cavernous 1970s building that holds 10,000 people. There were at least that many jammed in on the day I attended; try not to repeat my mistake of going on a Sunday.
The same goes for Teotihuacan. If you can avoid going on a Sunday or school holiday, the site will feel more magical without thousands of other visitors. The vendors will still be out in force and can get tiresome, but they can be handy if you forgot a sun hat or run out of sunscreen; both are needed in this open area at more than 7,000 feet above sea level.
