VIVA MEXICO 2 - TEOTIHUACAN

Just one hour northeast of Mexico City lies a complex of awesome pyramids that is Mexico's biggest ancient city. Teotihuacan (teh-oh-tee-wah-kahn) is known for it's two vast pyramids Piramide del Sol y Piramide de la Luna (pyramids sun and moon).  Sol is the world's 3rd largest pyramid.  It measures 222m long on each side and is just over 70 m high.  (729 feet long and 230 feet high)

 

We wanted to get there early, #1 to beat the crowds and #2 to beat the heat.  I was happy for the cloudy day.  Climbing to the top, 248 steps (thanks Lonely Planet for the count), in the blazing sun would have been hard. 

Here I am sitting atop the Sol pyramid looking off at the Luna pyramid. Besides the other tourists, it was really quiet up there. 

 

Teotihuacan was built between 150 and 600 AD, the city was made up of residential compounds, some of which had alfresco paintings.  And yes, some are still in tact for viewing.  Amazing! Can you even put my head around AD time period??  and to think there are still paintings?? 

The area where Neto is standing has been restored and looks a little too new, but it was cook to be able to make our the carvings, many of the quetzal bird, a hybrid of the bird and a butterfly and serpents.

The was a garden on the grounds to explore.  Im not sure if it was ancient too, but the plants were big.  Here Im standing by an agave plant, which is used to make tequila.

In Mexico City, the most popular fruit is a tuna (this is my assessment after seeing the amount of vendors selling it on the street) Im not sure what it is called in English, but it's the fruit that grows on a cactus like the one below.  Ernesto loves this fruit, so when we past this monstrous cactus full of the fruit, he picked one for me so I could try it. 

Quite tasty, although I prefer the ready to eat kind served on the street.  When picked straight off the cactus you have to worry about getting stuck with all those little prickly things while trying to get to the fruit inside. 

Teotihuacan has an interesting  museum; small and informative. (just how I like them.  I can't spend hours in a museum)

There was information about the different carved stone heads that you see all over the site. This came in handy because we bought a piece of 3D artwork with about 18 different little carvings (replicas). 

Hmmm, new jewelry ideas?

Also interesting were the skeletons that were found in the ancient city. 

If you get to Mexico City, I highly recommend you take some time to see this! I have been to several Aztec and Mayan ruins and they are just mind boggling. What? How? When?  The museum explained that the largest pyramid, Sol, was built around 100 AD, from tree million tons of stone, without the use of metal tools, animals, or the wheel.  Wow!