Taken from the flanks of the Pyramid of the Moon, looking out at the Pyramid of the Sun in the distance.
Teotihuacan is a giant 2000 year old archaeological ruins site less than an hour from Mexico City. It’s historical.
Us on the Pyramid of the Moon
It’s easy to get to the ruins from Mexico City: take the subway to Terminal Norte and walk to the adjacent bus station, at the far end of which you can buy tickets for a few bucks for the buses leaving every half hour or so. If you’re lucky (as we were) you’ll get a local troubadour on your bus to sing you a few songs for spare change.
The scope of Teotihuacan is genuinely awesome. It has some of the largest pyramids in the world (apparently the same size base as those in Giza, but only half as tall), and the area just stretches on for what seems like miles. There are lots of distinct sections, built at different times for different purposes, but looming over everything are the massive Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon. There are some well-preserved murals and museum exhibits, but the highlight of a visit here is definitely a few hours climbing up pyramids and random buildings, imagining the place as it used to be: one of the greatest cities in the world during its zenith with a population over 150,000, which was a lot back then.
Lots of the steps are really steep and have safety cables strung up
There were lots of strolling venders selling all kinds of knickknacks, the most popular of which seemed to be a ceramic jaguar call that every other kid seemed to be enthusiastically using the entire time we were there. Being so close to so many millions of people, it shouldn’t be a surprise that it can get a little crowded, but the place is big and can absorb a lot of visitors. Bring sunscreen and a hat, and pack a lunch. Teotihuacan is a great day trip from Mexico City, don’t miss it if you’re in the area.
Some pretty incredible stone carvings
Andy on the Pyramid of the Sun
It is thought provoking to visit archaeological ruins and wonder about the civilizations that lived and disappeared so long ago…This is an amazing one; would love to see it, doubt if I could do the climb — glad you did!!
Your latest posts should do a world of good for Mexican tourism — it was interesting to read (in the previous one) how safe you felt.