Rising into the warm light of the Mexican sunrise, the ancient city of Teotihuacan slowly came into view below.
From the hot air balloon, the pyramids appeared smaller than expected, dwarfed by the vast valley and volcanoes that surrounded them.
Just outside of Mexico City lies one of the most complex and mysterious archaeological sites in the world. Built around 100 BCE, Teotihuacan became one of the largest cities on the planet at its peak.
Archaeologists are still uncovering and debating exactly who built it, how it was ruled, and what led to its rapid decline. Gazing out over the city, there was a sensation of being above time, as if I was looking down at the world and all its movements. Life’s problems and concerns felt so much smaller.
With the sound of the fire blasting rising us higher and higher, the Avenue of the Dead stretched out across the city. The map that I had once studied in university began to take shape.
As an intern at the Teotihuacan Research Lab, I studied the map that archeologists made of the buildings under the surface. This city expanded in every direction far beyond what is currently visible, with hundreds of apartment complexes, temples, and streets hiding below. As I looked down at the real-life map, I glanced at the green fields that covered what I knew to be countless discoveries that could transform our understanding of the city.
As an ancient city, it rose to power and conquered the vast area of central Mexico, attracting immigrants from other empires. Zapotecs, Mayans, and others resided in their own neighborhoods. At the center stood the temples and houses of the nobility, richly decorated with red paint and carvings.
The Pyramid of the Sun and the Avenue of the Dead
Entering the site, the Pyramid of the Sun is the first thing that rises into view. With sides that extend in every direction, the pyramid appears much larger in real life than in videos or photos, thanks to the long years of reconstruction that restored it to its original size after centuries of ruin.
Standing at 66 meters (216 feet) high, it is one of the largest ancient structures in the Western Hemisphere. Constructed from over 1,000,000 cubic yards of material, the pyramid is bound to mesmerize any visitor contemplating the history of the people who built it, shrouded in mystery.
Continuing along the Avenue of the Dead, the long street stretched out before me, all the way to the main plaza. Platforms rose and fell in repetitive patterns, making us walk up and down hundreds of steps to reach the other end. Lizards and iguana greeted us on our journey, slithering between cacti and rocks and basking in the midday sun. The stones under our feet were slippery, after thousands of years of humans passing through the same spot. This site has an air of wonder and intrigue, reminding visitors that they don’t know as much about the world and its past as they think.
The Avenue extends for 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) before finally reaching the primary plaza and the Pyramid of the Moon. This precise urban alignment has sparked several theories, from astronomical alignments and cosmological symbolism to ancient aliens landing spaceships. Whichever the case, it is clear to the modern-day visitor that this city was meticulously organized down to every street, apartment complex, drainage system, and sculpture.
The Main Plaza, the Pyramid of the Moon, and Apartment Complexes
Arriving in the main plaza, you can visit numerous apartment complexes, each designed to house multiple families under one roof, with maximum space efficiency and cleanliness. With a central courtyard and surrounding homes, the apartment complexes are considered way ahead of their time in terms of ingenuity and architecture. It is incredible to walk through their ruins and imagine the thousands of families that lived here from across Mesoamerica. This city was indeed one of the largest on the continent, much larger in size than London or Rome at their height.
Today, visitors can climb the Pyramid of the Moon after many years of reconstruction and safety precautions. Following the priests’ route, visitors can imagine what their view must have been like as they looked over their city and prayed to their gods. Indeed, every year more and more archaeological mysteries are being uncovered – from tunnels lined with mica and liquid mercury, to sacrificial burials at the corners of each pyramid. Many of these discoveries today are housed at the Museo de Antropología in Mexico City.
The Temple of Quetzalcoatl
Searching for a moment without the crowds of visitors, we began to stroll back down the Avenue of the Dead towards the temple of Quetzalcoatl, which is home to some of the most fascinating architecture in the entire site. Dedicated to an early form of the feathered serpent god, this temple features sculptures of his face alongside depictions of the rain god Tlaloc.
The temple was only discovered in the 1980s, after a large sacrificial burial site was discovered there. Since then, it has been surrounded by fascinating discoveries, including pyrite balls in underground caverns, liquid mercury in tombs, and tunnels that appear to run beneath much of the site, connecting the temples.
Walking through the sections of the site that were still overrun by flower beds and cacti, I couldn’t help but imagine what this city must have been like during its peak. How many thousands of people worshiping gods that have faded from our knowledge? How many cultural practices, arts, and languages have slipped from historical records?
This is why visiting sites like this in every country I explore means so much to me. It is a reminder that there are many human stories, beliefs, and creative ideas that came before us, and it is up to us to uncover them again.
If I were to provide one recommendation to new visitors to the city, it would be to explore this site, from above in a balloon and on the ground. It puts the entire city into perspective, recalling its long legacy, turbulent history, and traditions that have endured for millennia.
<p>The post Ancient Pyramids and Mysterious History: Visiting Teotihuacan From Mexico City first appeared on Travelbinger.</p>