After departing The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, our Gate 1 Travel group made our way to the city of Teotihuacan.
Located nearly 40 miles North East of Mexico City in the Valley of Mexico, Teotihuacan was once the largest and most populated city of Mesoamerica. Considered by many to be the first great city in the Western Hemisphere.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site
Teotihuacan was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. We began exploring the site in their museum, filled with local artifacts and interesting history.
The presence of the Teotihuacan people has been found as far away as Veracruz and into the Maya regions. The Aztecs, who later viewed the ancient ruins, claim a common ancestry to the Teotihuacan people.
Green Obsidian was a primary source of trade for the people of Teotihuacan. Blades and tools were crafted by tradespeople and can be found as far away as Guatemala.
The Building of Teotihuacan
Built in approximately 100 BC, Teotihuacan rose to its height sometime in the 4th century AD. At that time, it was probably the largest city in the Americas and considered the first advanced civilization on the North American continent.
The city covered almost 30 square miles, and nearly 80 percent of the valley population lived within the city, many in multi-floor apartment-like dwellings. It is believed there may have been as many as 200,00 inhabitants in its heyday.
The Sun and Moon
Two of the remaining pyramids at Teotihuacan are the Pyramid of the Sun and, at the other end of the Avenue of the Dead, the Pyramid of the Moon.
The Pyramid of the Sun is approximately 738 feet across and 246 feet high. Roughly the height of a twenty-story building. Making this one of the largest pyramids in the world.
The Pyramid of the Moon honors The Great Goddess Teotihuacan, goddess of water, fertility, and earth.
It is thought that the two mountains were built to resemble two sacred mountains surrounding the valley. However, some believe the pyramids were built to rival the sacred mountains, showing that the rulers were godlike.
Natural Disaster or Political Uprising?
It appears that Teotihuacan’s ruin came during a great fire in approximately 500 AD. But how that fire happened remains unknown.
The people of Teotihuacan chopped and burned pine trees that filled the valley. The burning wood was used to incinerate limestone, which was mixed with water to plaster the outside of the vast number of pyramids and dwellings.
It is thought by many that deforestation devastated the surrounding area, and what remained caught fire and decimated the city.
Others believe that the peasants, unhappy with the hollow promises of the rulers, rose up and burned many of the buildings. Mural art found inside the homes of many of the working class seemed to be a style of propaganda that left them in fear of the ruling class.
Lunch at Gran Teocalli
After exploring Teotihuacan, our group ate lunch at a nearby restaurant.
Gran Teocalli is a sizeable buffet-style restaurant catering to larger tour groups. When we arrived, they had costumed dancers performing. The buffet had a mix of Mexican and international foods, including pasta, salads, and desserts.
Our favorite was a station where cooks made fresh Corn Tortillas and from those made Quesadillas. We could select from any number of fillings, including Huitlacoche, a type of fungus found on Corn, and Chicken Tinga. Both were delicious.
After lunch, our group returned to Mexico City as the next part of our journey would be a few hour’s drive to the amazing City of Puebla.
What a great adventure. Always enjoyed the history of the Aztecs. Those pyramids are incredible b