The Splendor of Teotihuacan

Pyramid of the Sun, Avenue of the Dead, Temple of the Plumed Serpent...and More!

[Click on images to enlarge]

So last Sunday (6/26/18), we ventured up to Teotihuacan. My professor’s in laws rented a first class bus (Estrella Roja) to take all 24 of us up there. We were supposed to meet the bus at 6:30 AM a few blocks in front of a relative’s house, but Mexican time is a real thing (people are always late) so my profs family and us did not get there until 6:40. Most times people are 30 minutes to an hour late, so being ten minutes late was pretty good. Someone in the family had invited a friend, and he was the only one to be at the meeting spot on time. Unfortunately, this was not a good thing as he got robbed by a man with a gun and had to stay behind to cancel all his credit cards. This was a big reality check!

So it took about 2 and a half hours to drive to Teotihuacan, during which the bus driver put on the newest Fast and Furious movie.

When we got there, we were immediately swarmed by vendors trying to sell us things. My professor bought two whistles for his kids. We saw that there were voladeros about to perform (mentioned in a previous post, see video here or at the bottom of the page). During the performance, someone came around and collected donations for the performers.

We visited on a Sunday because archaeological sites are free to Mexican citizens on this day. Foreigners have to pay 60 pesos. So my professor just told us to go through the entrance in the center of our big group so that they wouldn’t charge us (us = C. And I). We made it through even though two others in our group – fluent Spanish speakers but from another area – were asked to pay!

Teotihuacan is huge. And I really don’t think anyone can appreciate the size until they walk it from one end to the other.

The first buildings we saw were smaller pyramids around the perimeter of the site.

Then we headed towards the Temple of the Plumed Serpent, also known as Quetzalcoatl (below).

The Temple of the Plumed Serpent is located behind the short, squat, square edifice in the foreground of both pictures below.

Details and decoration on the Temple of the Plumed Serpent:

architectural embellishments of Teotihuacan

Below are photos of the view from the top of the pyramid. The area under the covering is currently being excavated. I guess archaeologists found a tunnel running from where the canopy is to the pyramid of the Plumed Serpent with offerings inside.

Avenue of the Dead:

Views from the Trek up the Pyramid of the Sun:

Pyramid of the Sun, Teotihuacan — Looking at the Pyramid of the Sun.

View from the top of the Pyramid of the Sun.

Temple of Agriculture:

Remember that everything that has tiny stones interspersed in the matrix holding the the larger stones together (see above) is reconstructed and not the original material.