by The Great Zo » Sat Jan 06, 2018 12:52 am
My trip reports don't die -- they just go into hibernation. And this one's waking back up and it's going to be finished!
After a day at La Feria, it was time to dig a little deeper into the spirit and culture of Mexico, present and past...
Day 2 -- Culture Day
Teotihuacan and Mexico City
Monday, March 23, 2015
The Report, Part 1 -- Teotihuacan
Our second full day in Mexico was our biggest cultural tourism day. If you're looking for theme parks stuff, you'll have to check in again in the next installment. If you like ancient pyramids and historic downtown buildings, plus a little sense of adventure beyond the rails of a roller coaster, keep on reading!
After another trip to our hotel's breakfast buffet, it was time for departure out of Mexico City to head off to the northeast. We stopped at some smaller ruins near the center of the city (Tlatelolco), and then got on the highway from there. About 30 miles (48 kilometers) from our hotel, we reached our destination -- the ancient Mesoamerican city of Teotihuacan. Let's see if I can get this pronunciation correct -- TAY-oh-tee-wok-AHN. Something close to that. Here's perhaps the most important piece of history to get straight -- Mexico is famous for its Aztec and Mayan cultures, but Teotihuacan is not directly connected to either. In fact, while the Aztec culture thrived in the middle of the second millennium AD, Teotihuacan dates back as much as a thousand years before that -- maybe more! Teotihuacan is one of the biggest tourist draws in the Mexico City area, for obvious reasons. There are pieces of native art, ancient structures, and some pyramidal high points to climb and do some photography atop. That last part might be of interest to this trip report's author.
We spent about three hours at Teotihuacan before breaking for lunch at a nearby restaurant. I'll get into more detail about our visit in the photo captions, where it's easier to tell the story about the piece of history we were witness to. I did the best I could to cut this photo set down to a reasonable size, and I still probably failed, but oh well! Have some pictures, everybody!
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- First, the most incredible ancient relic we saw all day! Can you believe it?
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- Surrounded by concrete-structure apartment high rises, not even a mile and a half from the historic downtown of Mexico City, we made a quick stop at the ruins of Tlatelolco -- an Aztec site that dates back about 700 years. Here's a fun fact! In 2009, a mass grave was excavated at the Tlatelolco site.
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- In addition to the Aztec remains, there's also an old church from the 17th century -- Templo de Santiago.
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- There are also fountains, which I'd imagine are of more recent construction. Way off in the distance, you'll also see the Torre Latinoamericana -- one of Mexico City's tallest skyscrapers.
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- Thankfully, our well-behaved group was of no concern for the bored Policia.
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- We headed northeast out of Mexico City and it was fascinating to observe the landscape. Sharp hills with sparse vegetation, colorfully painted walls and building advertisements...
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- ...and hillsides covered in homes. Far different from anything you'd see in the US.
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- Some of the hillside neighborhoods were extremely colorful!
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- But here is what we came for -- the highlight of our archaeological-cultural tourism. This is the Pirámide del Sol (Pyramid of the Sun), the third largest ancient pyramid in the world, and the cornerstone of the ancient city of Teotihuacan. Teotihuacan was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
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- Our tour guide, Sergio, introduces us to Teotihuacan.
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- Off in the distance is the La Pirámide de la Luna (Pyramid of the Moon), but we'll get back to that a little later.
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- Looking at one corner of the Pyramid of the Sun.
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- A look at some detail on the lower side of the Pyramid of the Sun.
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- The view way up to the top -- the Pyramid of the Sun is 216 feet / 65.5 meters tall.
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- So tall, it looks like the clouds are coming out of it!
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- As we make our trek toward the pyramid, Sergio explains way more of Teotihuacan's history than I can remember. Thankfully, I took enough pictures of the guide signs around the place that I can piece some of it back together!
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- An assortment of other ruins we passed on the way to the pyramid.
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- Our group makes a walk around the pyramid -- and a local merchant attempts a sale.
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- Sergio explains the tunnel system within the Pyramid of the Sun, with a rather, uh, lengthy drawing.
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- The tunnels aren't open to the public, which is probably wise. So why do the tunnels exist? It all has to do with the history of the pyramid. Originally thought to be a monument to the sun (which explains the name), further excavation and exploration provided evidence that it was instead a temple to the water deity Tlaloc. The tunnels represent both life-giving wombs and an entrance to the world of the dead.
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- Sculptures originally adorned the panels of the platform at the base of the pyramid, and several are now on display near the entry to the stairway. The sculptures draw inspiration from both feline and reptilian animals.
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- It shouldn't come as a huge surprise, but much of Teotihuacan has been refurbished, if not outright reconstructed. Pay close attention to the sections of this wall between the rocks -- reconstructed areas are marked with dark dots, while original areas are not.
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- Here's an example of a wall we saw later in the day, which is almost completely a modern reconstruction.
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- It's a long way to the top if you want to ... climb the Pyramid of the Sun.
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- It seems like endless flights of steep stairs, but I'd just done some hiking in the mountains near Denver, so I was in good shape and ready to climb!
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- Nonetheless, these steps are steeper than your typical staircase. Oh, and just in case you have any inclination of /not/ taking the stairs...
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- ...the sides of the pyramid are covered in rocks that jut out like video game spikes. So, lest you want to risk falling and playing plinko with your tumbling body, take the stairs.
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- Like I said, it's steep, and this shot gives the right perspective. That's the Pyramid of the Moon in the background.
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- Taking a quick stop on one of the pyramid's ledges. On the 2013 TPR trip to Mexico, which I wasn't a part of, I recall seeing from pictures that these queues were pretty much full! In 2015, we got here early enough in the day to beat the crowds.
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- Stopping on another ledge closer to the top. Here's a fact about the pyramid's reconstruction -- the original pyramid only had four ledges, but it was mistakenly rebuilt with five!
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- Just a couple more steep flights of stairs to get up to the top.
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- Finally, we've made it -- a wooden platform that passes over the pyramid's highest point!
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- Let's take in some of the views from the top of the Pyramid of the Sun. Here's a look down at some of the other ruins in Teotihuacan.
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- Teotihuacan was a well-planned urban city, with a population of over 100,000 inhabitants at its peak. Archaeologists discovered evidence of drainage/sewage systems, multi-family dwellings, and public plazas -- all hallmarks of modern civilization nearly 2000 years later.
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- The ruins seen here near the pyramids are part of the city's center, which represents only about 10% of the total size of the original city.
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- The Avenida de los Muertos (Avenue of the Dead) stretches way off in the distance. One of the city's two main cross-streets, it runs essentially north-to-south.
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- The south end of the historic area (seen here) is the Ciudadela, which was actually located at the center of the original city. We didn't visit here, but it's home to the Templo de Quetzalcóatl, another important historic site at Teotihuacan.
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- Hills surround the Valley of Teotihuacan, including this hill just beyond the locality of Santa María Cozotlán.
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- A look down the southeast corner of the pyramid.
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- More views, now looking northeast from the top of the pyramid -- with the highest platform/landing also open to the public to walk around.
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- Yes, this pyramid had a moat surrounding it!
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- A look north toward the Pyramid of the Moon, at the north end of the Avenue of the Dead.
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- The Pyramid of the Moon is the shorter of the two main pyramids at Teotihuacan, but it's otherwise no less impressive.
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- These terraced structures along the Avenue of the Dead are an architectural style known as Talud-Tablero. It's commonly found in pre-Hispanic Mesoamerica.
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- This Talud-Tablero platform is at the base of the Pyramid of the Moon.
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- A closer look at the top of the Pyramid of the Moon, which is closed to the public, as it's in much worse shape than the Pyramid of the Sun.
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- Strapping on the zoom lens and taking a closer look around the pyramid. Somewhere down there is where we parked.
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- The building at bottom center is the restaurant we'd be eating lunch at, called Mayahuel. I somehow got a decent picture of despite not knowing we were going there!
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- A good view from the top into the nearby localities, including San Martín and San Francisco Mazapa.
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- An interesting church located in San Martín.
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- Another distant view from the Pyramid of the Sun.
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- A closer look at the less-built-up area of Santa María Cozotlán.
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- More ruins near the pyramids. Teotihuacan lasted for many centuries, but fell somewhere in 700-750 AD, and was essentially abandoned.
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- When Teotihuacan fell, some structures (especially near the city center) were burned.
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- Later cultural groups (including the Aztecs) regarded Teotihuacan as a sacred city. Today, it's protected under authority of the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH), whose flagship museum I'd just visited two days prior.
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- Oh, and the rest of the tourists are starting to arrive, so maybe it's about time to head down!
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- ...and we're just gonna pretend this didn't happen.
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- Here's a group who knows how to have a good time /and/ learn cool stuff!
I love different cultures just the same as I love theme parks! 
