Teotihuacán - The Beginning of It All

So, waiting for my iPod to be serviced and wanting to check out one of the main attractions of the area around the city, my next day would include a trip to Teotihuacán, the ancient city that was the beginning of the urban mass that now makes up Mexico City. The clouds overhead didn't look like it would be the nicest day, but it was still good enough to go outside and explore the most visited archaeological site in the Americas. So, I took the speedy subway over and up to the bus station, passing through a cool tunnel full of nature pictures and a dark area with the entire night sky lit up overhead with black lights - I think the area was called the Tunnel of Science or something like that. Then it was just 30 or 40 minutes through suburbs to get to the site. Thanks to the weather, the popular ruins were not very crowded, allowing more room to walk around and enjoy the towering pyramids and broken down temples. On the other hand, it also made me a bigger target for the numerous hawkers trying to sell shoddy jewelry, carvings, pictures, blankets, etc. Some of them would leave you alone, but you could see others sit at attention and prepare their spiel as you drew closer.

Upon entering the site, and passing by the quality trinkets, my first real view of Mexican ruins was a huge grassy plaza area surrounded by a low stone wall and steps, containing a low, steep temple with carvings on animal faces and other hieroglyphs on the sides. Something about me has always been drawn to the ruins, temples and customs of ancient cultures, so this was the first of hopefully many that I'll be able to see on this trip. I climbed the steep stairs of the first temple, only about 30 or 40 feet high, admiring the panoramic view of the rest of the sight and the large pyramids that lay ahead. I also listened in on a bit of the information given by one of the Spanish tour guides, noting the acoustics of the place, designed as some sort of podium, given the echo effect of the walls. Next, I passed over the small river, along the Calzada de los Muertos - the Avenue of the Dead. This was the main ''road'' in the city, and it would have been an impressive sight to see the place in all its glory. The original inhabitants of the town were a native tribe that flourished from about 250 - 600 AD, during which time more and more temples and buildings were constructed in the area. For unknown reasons, the society that appeared so powerful seemed to collapse around the year 700 AD, leaving the magnificent city behind. Around 300 or 400 years later, the Aztecs, possibly venturing from Mexcaltitán (pay attention to previous posts if you want to understand this reference) found and occupied this place, forming the beginning of what is now the site of present day Mexico City, more or less.

As the wind began to lightly blow, the day started to gradual cool off with the hint of a cold front and some darker clouds, though not yet covering the sky. I continued on to the next major site, the Pyramid of the Sun. Built around 100 AD, in the beginnings of the society, this massive structure is said to be the third largest in the world, behind a huge, mostly buried pyramid in Southern Mexico (Cholula) and the largest Egyptian one (perhaps the Great Pyramid, I don't know). I'm guessing that the measure was based on volume, as the pyramid is tall, but not overwhelmingly so, measuring in at about 210 feet. The wide base, stretching about 700 feet on each side, is what gives the pyramid its massive size. Built by hand, stone by stone, this huge structure consists of a few large levels, stacked on top of each other with steep stairs and a few platforms making the way all the way to the apex. Interestingly, the ancient inhabitants were fairly small people, making the steep, tall stairs even harder to climb, so it must have been a sizeable task to climb the temple (except for the fact that they probably did it all the time on the other steps around the town). From atop the towering structure, you could look down on the main avenue and other smaller temples, much as the rulers probably did 1400 years ago. For a little while, I had the opportunity of being the only one atop the rounded pyramid, enjoying the views and power that came with the position. Eventually, I was overtaken by some Polish, French and Danish tourists, so I ceded my throne and began the steep descent. Despite being named the Pyramid of the Sun, some recent research suggests that it might not have been a shrine to the sun, but perhaps to the rain god, Tláloc. But, I don't know, so no more conjecture here. Moving along, I passed a few faded murals of ancient warriors and jaguars, preserved underneath the overhangs of a few of the smaller, possibly residential structures.

The other imposing structure of the site now stood directly in front of me: a symmetrical two or three tiered pyramid overlooking the main square in the city, probably used for performances, markets and other space-intensive activities. Unfortunately, you are only allowed to climb to the first tier of this pyramid, about 50 or 60 large stone block steps, ending on a wide platform before you would ascend the other sets of stairs. From here, you have a magnificent view of the small, 20 or 30 foot remains of temples that lined the avenue, and, of course, the huge Pyramid of the Sun. The temple upon which I stood was the Pyramid of the Moon, and it was also a beautiful structure, composed of medium grey stone blocks, constructed most likely by slave and peasant labor. Of course, these pyramids don't have the perfect triangular structure of their Egyptian counterparts, but the sloping wall and terraces look very interesting. Walking the avenue of the ancient civilization was an amazing experience, picturing what society must have been like over a thousand years ago in this bustling town, full of stone structures, temples and two pyramids. Soon, the day was almost over and the cold had set in (it was only 40 or 50 degrees outside in the daytime), so I headed back to the subway. I also had a quick chance to call about my iPod, but it seems that it would need to be replaced, so it would be another few days, meaning that I definitely wasn't leaving town for a while.

Cold and hungry, I searched for some food at the bus station, but the shady taco stand didn't look too appealing, so I continued on. In the subway station, the one with the science exhibit, I was happy to see a Domino's pizza outpost, just a tiny little takeout branch at the corner of one of the underground walkways. They were also having a great deal with two personal, mini pizzas for $3. Pizza would be a nice alternative, something that I hadn't had in a long time, as well as it would be a nice warm meal, so I headed into the tiny place. Unfortunately, I was too late, as some of the locals had snatched up the last of the cheap pizzas, so I continued on, lamenting my close call. Then, around the next corner was another mini Domino's location. They were running the same deal, so I got a Mexican pizza (some sort of ground meat, jalapeños and onions) and a Hawaiian one (pineapples and ham). They weren't particularly great, and I got in trouble for sitting up against a wall that was supposed to be off limits...I guess I was putting off that homeless vibe again, but the pizza was good enough. Or at least I thought it was. Upon getting back on the gauntlet of subway routes to my hotel room, I was cold due to the weather, but I was also really hot. Feverishly hot. That's not good news...

(The Pyramid of the Moon, standing at the end of the Avenue of the Dead.)

(The zoomed in view down to the Pyramid of the Moon from atop the Pyramid of the Sun and my majestic, peaceful moment of solitude.)

(The massive Pyramid of the Sun from the ground.)

(More mini temples lined the way between the two major pyramids. The paved area was most likely a marketplace or perhaps a parking lot.)

(Another baby temple...probably about 40 or 50 feet tall.)

(Once again, the Pyramid of the Sun. It's so big that you can't take a picture without it being there somewhere.)

(Some of the interesting carvings shown in detail on one of the first temples. One is probably a god representing something. The other was probably just there for purposes of symmetry.)