Day 2 – Teotihuacan (Teotihuacan Travel Log)

There really isn’t much I can say here except by starting off with a couple of my favorite widescreen shots.

Dont I look like a Mexican hombre – Piramide de la Luna is behind me

Shooting the Piramide del Sol from the Piramide de la Luna

Walking towards the Piramide Del Sol

At the top of the Piramide del Sol

So not really much to say here, that the pictures would convey in a more effective fashion. The plan once we got to Teotihuacan, which by the way consists of 5 zones and we were only concerned with the main zone, since that is where the Piramides were. Once again, I will refer to Wikipedia to provide a nice concise description of the site and what is in the main galleries

The city’s broad central avenue, called “Avenue of the Dead” (a translation from its Nahuatl name Miccaotli), is flanked by impressive ceremonial architecture, including the immense Pyramid of the Sun (second largest in the New World after the Great Pyramid of Cholula) and the Pyramid of the Moon. Along the Avenue of the Dead are many smaller talud-tablero platforms. The Aztecs believed they were tombs, inspiring the name of the avenue. Now they are known to be ceremonial platforms that were topped with temples. Further down the Avenue of the Dead is the area known as the Citadel, containing the ruined Temple of the Feathered Serpent. This area was a large plaza surrounded by temples that formed the religious and political center of the city. The name “Citadel” was given to it by the Spanish, who believed it was a fort. Many of the rich and powerful Teotihuacanos lived in Palaces near the temples, the largest of these covering more than 3300 m².[12] Most of the common people lived in large apartment buildings spread across the city. Many of the buildings contained workshops that produced pottery and other goods.

The geographical layout of Teotihuacán is a good example of the Mesoamerican tradition of planning cities, settlements and buildings as a representation of the Teotihuacano view of the Universe. Its urban grid is aligned to precisely 15.5º east of North. The Street of the Dead, in particular, seems to line up with Cerro Gordo to the north of the Pyramid of the Moon. Pecked-cross circles throughout the city and in the surrounding regions indicate how the grid was managed over long distances.

The idea basically was to wander around and revel in the magnificence of this place. One interesting note, our guide swore by the fact that we would not be tired after climbing the Pyramide de Sol. This was in fact true, since we almost died climbing up, coming down was a breeze once you kept your footing and all.

View of Temple of the Sun and the Avenue of the Dead from the Temple of the Sun

Posing as usual with the regular pose

Piramide de La Luna

Getting ready to tackle the beast of the Sun

Looking at the Piramide de la Luna from the Piramide de Sol

Finally at the top … nuff said

Conclusion : Great day, tired legs, good food after at some campy restaurant and looking forward to doing it all again tomorow morning in Taxco.