Pirámides de Teotihuacan Reviews (Mexico City, Mexico)

Exploring Aztec Pyramids Just Outside the City

St. Augustine, Florida

October 5, 2009

Email
Print

Best of IgoUgo In the afternoon of our first full day in Mexico City, we headed about 30 miles north to the ancient Aztec city of Teotihuacan. Home to the third largest pyramid in the world, this city which began as early as 200bc, was amazing to see and learn a ...Read more In the afternoon of our first full day in Mexico City, we headed about 30 miles north to the ancient Aztec city of Teotihuacan. Home to the third largest pyramid in the world, this city which began as early as 200bc, was amazing to see and learn a little bit about. We began at the southern end of the site known as the Citadel, where apartment buildings and public gathering spaces once existed. The Temple of the Feathered Serpent is in this area and we explored around the grounds trying to understand what it must have been like to be here at the city's pinnacle.

From the southern end we made our way north along the Avenue of the Dead, which was the main thoroughfare and stretched for more than 2.5km. From this street one can see how detailed the layout of the city was, as it was divided in symmetrical sections each corresponding to astrological patterns. Some believe that this was to help with their calendar planning in dealing with seasonal farming.

In the center of the Avenue is the massive structure, the Pyramid of the Sun. It looked big even from a far way off, and kept getting larger and more daunting as we approached. It's hard to capture it in a photo, plus adding to it the heat of that afternoon, and the crazy crowds, it made me laugh (but feel a bit more at ease) to see a permanent paramedic stand just outside the main staircase.

The line to go up wrapped around the front and one side of the structure, as the crowd size is controlled by several guards along the staircase. Finally, when it was our turn, we trekked our way skyward and then hung out on the top for a while to people watch and take in the scenery. The way down was just as harrowing and there was still one more pyramid to go...the Pyramid of the Moon.

On the Avenue of the Dead again, there were many things to explore, as there didn't seem to be any regulations on what you could and couldn't climb on, walk on, or crawl through. We saw several little kids going from one structure to the next crawling through the remains of a system of drainage pipes. Some were definitely only suited for people shorter than 2'...but a couple openings looked like I might just about fit - so I tried it out.

After another climb up and down the final pyramid of the Moon, we walked towards the parking lot past a few more structures that showed the amazing advanced plumbing systems of this ancient culture.

This is a complete must-see stop for anyone visiting the Mexico City area!

Open daily from 8am to 6pm
Entrance Fee $51pesos (about $3 USD)
Parking available
Bring lots of water and sunscreen
Close

From journal Tackling the Massive City of Mexico

Pirámides de Teotihuacan

by bettybetty10

Dallas, Texas

April 22, 2008

Email
Print

Best of IgoUgo The Teotihuacan Pyramids are a must see! If you've never seen pyramids before, this is a really cool, outdoor experience. We went to the Pyramids on New Year's Day, since mostly everything is closed in Mexico City on this day. We took a taxi to the ...Read more

From journal 10 Days in Mexico City

Pirámides de Teotihuacan

by Mormik

St-Alexandre, Quebec

January 27, 2007

Email
Print

The Pyramids of Teotihuacan are a must-see when visiting Mexico City. Wear comfortable running shoes as there is a lot of walking and climbing (to the tops of the pyramids). There are some gift shops close to the site and there are some Tequila ...Read more

From journal Mexico City Weekend

The Pyramids of Teotihuacan

by GlobalKen

Dayton, Ohio

July 31, 2006

Email
Print

Best of IgoUgo These grand pyramids, Pyramid de la Luna (Pyramid of the Moon) and the Pyramid del Sol (Pyramid of the Sun), are amazing reminders of a civilization long past. On either end of a long street, Calzada de los Muertos (Street of the Dead), sits the two ...Read more

From journal A day at theTeotihuacan Pyramids

Teotihuacan

by Sabina315

Athens, Ohio

July 24, 2006

Email
Print

Teotihuacan is a short drive from Mexico City proper and, in my opinion, is totally worth the ride. I visited before a Wal-Mart was built within view of the pyramids, but a visit now is still a good way to see ruins without going as far as ...Read more

From journal Mexico City

Teotihuacan

by dcdc75

Vancouver, Washington

June 29, 2006

Email
Print

Best of IgoUgo One of the most impressive archaeological sites in the Americas, Teotihuacan flourished until 750 AD when it was abandoned. When the Aztecs arrived, they recognized the site's formidable history and named it Teotihuacan which means a place where ...Read more

From journal Bienvenidos!! It's Mexico City !!!

Pirámides de Teotihuacan- Temple of the butterfly

by JesusW

Mexico city, Mexico

May 8, 2006

Email
Print

Best of IgoUgo In the side of the pyramid of the Moon you will find a small area, you have to climb some steps to get into the Temple of Butterflies "Quetzalpapalotl"—named because of the decoration carved in the columns and patio.Everything here is original, ...Read more

From journal Mexico City, This Small Little Town

Pirámides de Teotihuacan - The most important one

by JesusW

Mexico city, Mexico

May 8, 2006

Email
Print

Best of IgoUgo Everybody aims to climb the highest pyramid in Teotihuacan, unfortunately the temple at it´s top is no longer there, but you can visit a very short pyramid (not climb it), is not the Moon (the second largest) but dedicated to a guy with feathers, ...Read more Everybody aims to climb the highest pyramid in Teotihuacan, unfortunately the temple at it´s top is no longer there, but you can visit a very short pyramid (not climb it), is not the Moon (the second largest) but dedicated to a guy with feathers, Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent God.

He is also known as Kukulcan in the Mayan areas, but here in the central area of Mexico, is associated with Tlaloc God of Rain, whose representations are unequivocally with some kind of goggles, which is unique, only him wears them no matter if in Teotihuacan, Chichen Itza or Copán (Honduras).

In the pyramid you find a richly decorated facade where you will find the head of the serpent with a collar of feathers, and also the end of the snake, the rattle, along with some faces of Tlaloc, corn and sea shells, the latest are not indigenous to this area.

Teotihuacan was a contemporary of Copán, Calakmul, Palenque, Tikal and many other Mayan cities, the trading and influence is overwhelming as the archaeological records show, the architecture and pottery of the Central America zone changed radically after Teotihuacan´s conquest or cultural invasion, we don´t know yet.

Back to the pyramid. Now is off limits but years ago you were able to walk just a few inches from the amazing carvings, today there are important excavations going on and also some restoration works, so sadly you have to climb the small platform built to, guess, cover the pyramid from view at the Citadel. It´s believed that for some reason Quetzalcoatl felt from the favor of the ruling elite at some point because the whole pyramid was obscured from public view (but not destroyed, interesting). The traditional way to honor a building was to build a bigger one on top of the first, without destroying the decoration or murals, but in this case no one has come with a reasonable explanation.

The Citadel is in the farthest south area of the archaeological complex near the old museum, so many tour companies just skip it in order to take you directly to the Sun and Moon complexes and gain more time to take you shopping (all of them get a commission at the stores), but you will miss a great opportunity to admire the facade of this pyramid, make sure the guide will take you to this one. The walk from one end to the other is a long one, it will take you more than 20 minutes under the hot Sun, so is better to go by car. Close

From journal Mexico City, This Small Little Town

Pirámides de Teotihuacan

by JesusW

Mexico city, Mexico

May 8, 2006

Email
Print

Best of IgoUgo The residence of Gods, that is the name the Aztecs gave to this area, as they found the remains of a culture that spawned this zone a thousand years before. Lot of people make the mistake to think that Teotihuacan and Tenochtitlan belong to the same ...Read more

From journal Mexico City, This Small Little Town

Pyramid of the Moon

by becks

Mexico City, Mexico

April 9, 2006

Email
Print

Best of IgoUgo The small Pyramid of the Moon has long played second fiddle to the humongous Pyramid of the Sun. Although it is only 46m high, it was built on higher ground than the Pyramid of the Sun and therefore the view from the top is from an only marginally ...Read more The small Pyramid of the Moon has long played second fiddle to the humongous Pyramid of the Sun. Although it is only 46m high, it was built on higher ground than the Pyramid of the Sun and therefore the view from the top is from an only marginally lower level. In addition, the view is straight down the Street of the Dead and, of course, includes the Pyramid of the Sun.

The approach to the Pyramid of the Moon at the northern end of the Street of the Dead is via the very elegant Plaza of the Pyramid of the Moon. The plaza is 204 by 137m and on three sides lined by elegant platforms in perfect symmetry. It is thought that the most important religious ceremonies were held here.

In contrast to the Pyramid of the Sun, the Pyramid of the Moon was periodically enlarged with the present structure dating to around 350 A.D. It has four terraces, with the first three linked with sets of very steep stairs – some railing is available to assist visitors. It is a bit of a scramble to get to the top from the third terrace but the view from the top is magnificent and in my opinion better than the view from the Pyramid of the Sun. As you look straight down the Street of the Dead, you can see the city in its entire symmetrical splendor. From here, it is also obvious that the impressive formal structures lined the central axis and that buildings further away must have been less elaborated.

Although I found the ascent much less tiring than what I recall from climbing the Pyramid of the Sun almost a decade ago, I was still left with the impression that Teotihuacan priests must have had amazing calves. Although it is a very steep climb to the first and largest of the terraces, the lazy and unfit will be happy to hear that the view from here is fine and nearly as good as the view from the top. (On a recent visit, July 2007, it was no longer possible to scale the Pyramid of the Moon past the first level. There is but one thing to do - go climb the higher one!)

Very little is known about the religious ceremonies of the Teotihuacans. Much of modern thought is influenced by the customs and interpretations of the Aztecs. No one really knows which gods where honored on the local pyramids and temples. Similarly, although it is clear that human sacrifices were offered to the gods, the extent remains unknown. Specialists generally assume that it was much less part of the local culture when compared to the slaughtering orgies of say the later Toltecs and Aztecs. Close

From journal Teotihuacan – Where Men Became Gods

IgoUgo

Pirámides de Teotihuacan

Avg. User Rating:

User Reviews

Exploring Aztec Pyramids Just Outside the City

Pirámides de Teotihuacan

Pirámides de Teotihuacan

The Pyramids of Teotihuacan

Teotihuacan

Teotihuacan

Pirámides de Teotihuacan- Temple of the butterfly

Pirámides de Teotihuacan - The most important one

Pirámides de Teotihuacan

Pyramid of the Moon

Pirámides de Teotihuacan

What's Nearby?

Nearby Things to Do

Popular Mexico City Hotels

Popular Things to Do in Mexico City

Avg. User Rating:

User Reviews

Exploring Aztec Pyramids Just Outside the City

Pirámides de Teotihuacan

Pirámides de Teotihuacan

The Pyramids of Teotihuacan

Teotihuacan

Teotihuacan

Pirámides de Teotihuacan- Temple of the butterfly

Pirámides de Teotihuacan - The most important one

Pirámides de Teotihuacan

Pyramid of the Moon