Teotihuacan pyramids

After stopping at La Villa, we drove on up the highway to Teotihuacan,  the City of the Gods, about 40 km northeast of Mexico City. It is home to some of the largest ancient pyramids in the world. According to legend, it was here where the gods gathered to plan the creation of man. Teotihuacan was the largest Pre-Columbian city in the Americas, reaching a total population of 150,000 at its height (larger than Rome at the same time period) and covered about 12 sq miles. Construction of Teotihuacán began around 300 BC, with the Pyramid of the Sun built around 150 BC.  It was abandoned around A.D. 700 after a steady decline over several centuries.  (It is not an Aztec ruin, they came later).

The stone used to build this site is taken from the large mountain in the distance (an extinct volcano), and floated down the river to a site near the city.

We first visited the Temple of Quetzalcoatl - the Plumed Serpent.  This temple is decorated with many stone serpent heads which were used to hold torches in their open mouths. The entire surface of the building was painted originally.  It stands on one side of a main ceremonial square and was surrounded on either side by the residence of the Emperor.  During special ceremonies, there would be water at the base of the temple reflecting the torches, and the emperor would use secret stairs to reach to top of the temple and appear as if by magic during the ceremony

Ceremonial platform in the center of the square, with temple of Quetzacoatl behind.

The Temple of the Sun is the third-largest pyramid in the world. (The first and second are the Great Pyramid of Cholula, near Puebla, and the Pyramid of Cheops on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt). The Temple of the Sun is 722 ft. per side at its base and 213 ft. high with 248 steps to the top. At an elevation of 7400 feet, its a good climb!  It was not built as a great king's tomb, it is built on top of a series of sacred caves, which aren't open to the public.  The front wall of the Temple of the Sun is exactly perpendicular to the point on the horizon where the sun sets at the equinoxes (twice annually)

Temple of the Sun from a distance.

248 steps to the top, but the steps are 12+ inches high!

Going down was almost as much of a challenge as going up!

The last temple we visited was the Temple of the Moon, slightly smaller than the Temple of the Sun, but the stairs were much taller (almost as high as my knees).  I bet they don't have a stair-stepper setting like this one:  Difficulty level:  Temple of the Moon!

Check out the height of the steps! (You can also see the small inset stones in the mortar that indicate restoration work, not original construction).

Looking back at the Temple of the Sun from the steps of the Temple of the Moon. It was interesting to learn that much of the site was reconstructed starting in 1910 as the country celebrated its bi-centennial.  Unfortunately the early archeological practices were not that good.  The team apparently used dynamite to blast away the top layer of dirt and debris from the centuries, which ended up blowing off the whole top of the pyramid.  The newly restored areas have small stones set into the mortart between the stones (the ancients also used mortar, the stones are not cut perfectly to fit together as in some other constructions).

It was a beautiful afternoon that eventually brought rain as we ended our tour.