Teotihuacan

Finally! I'm back in Mexico City, and back to playing tourist. I have a new job (!), more on that later though--the main thing is that I'll work a semi-normal schedule, and hopefully get to enjoy my time here a little bit more. Today, I went to a place called Teotihuacan. Teotihuacan is about 1 hour north of D.F., and it's famous for its pyramids. The ancient city, built by the Totonacs (we think), dates back to the early 1st century. This 2000-year-old metropolis is most famous for its two large pyramids: the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon. However, the site contains numerous temples, platforms, altars, and other various structures. I have a lot of pictures for this post--I'll do my best to condense an entire ancient city into one blog post!

First Stop: The Temple of Quetzalcoatl (a.k.a. The Feathered Serpent)

From a distance, the Temple of Quetzalcoatl doesn't look too impressive. At least, not in comparison to the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon. Many tourists just snapped a shot from a distance and went about their way.

I mean, it's okay, right?

Those who walked back to the pyramid did not regret it. The Temple of Quetzalcoatl was my favorite--no one can climb this one, so it will stay in great condition for a long time. You can get plenty close enough to see the feathered serpents (representative of the god Quetzalcoatl) emerging from the temple walls. 

From the left: shells, Tlaloc (rain god), Quetzalcoatl

 As I was leaving the Temple of Quetzalcoatl, I snapped a picture of what can be seen of the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon.

Closer: Pyramid of the Sun. Further: Pyramid of the Moon.

On the way towards the Pyramid of the Sun...

As I was walking down the Calzada de los Muertos (the main road), I explored a couple of the smaller structures. I found it noteworthy most of the structures here are at least partially underground, and new archaeological findings are still being discovered today.

Archaeologists are currently working on excavating the rest of this structure.

Note: The parts of the structures that have been rebuilt where the original
 was destroyed have been marked by placing small stones between the large ones.
Above you can see where the original structure is, and which part has been rebuilt.

Most annoying part of visiting Teotihuacan: The vendors here are so aggressive, and there are way too many of them!

 Finally, after seeing some of the smaller structures and blatantly ignoring 20+ vendors, I made it to my next stop.

Second Stop: The Pyramid of the Sun

Did you know that two of the three largest pyramids in the world are located within two hours of Mexico City? The Pyramid of the Sun is surpassed only by Cholula and the Great Pyramid of Giza.

Couldn't even fit the whole thing in one picture at this distance...

It was long-believed that this pyramid's purpose was to worship the sun--hence
the name, right? More recently, there has been a lot of evidence suggesting
that this temple was actually used to worship the god Tlaloc, the water deity.

 The hike to the top of the Pyramid of the Sun was 240 very steep, high, and narrow steps. Out of breath and feeling a sunburn coming on, I snapped a few shots and set my sights on my next climb...

The Pyramid of the Moon, as seen from the top of the Pyramid of the Sun.

 Third Stop: The Pyramid of the Moon

 Climbing the Pyramid of the Moon proved much less strenuous--a mere 48 steep steps, and that's as high as you are allowed to go. It's still a nice place to sit, and get a good view of temple-platforms and the other major pyramid.

The Pyramid of the Sun as seen from the Pyramid of the Moon.

Here's me, chilling out on the platform halfway up the Pyramid of the Moon!

 While sitting on the platform, I had a snack and downed about 20 ounces of water--pyramid climbing is thirsty work! I also completed my lovely lobster-sunburn. It was time for some shade. Off to the Palace of Quetzalpapalotl, the Palace of the Jaguars, y el Templo de los Caracoles Emplumados! (Yes, Spanglish, because 'The Temple of the Feathered Shells' just sounds weird in English).

Fourth Stop: Palacios de Quetzalpapalotl, los Jaguares, y Templo de los Caracoles Emplumados

The Palace of Quetzalpapalotl is thought to have been the home of a high priest. While I suspect that the bright red paint at the top of the columns has been re-touched, the paint on the columns is still the original. The columns are carved with quetzal birds or butterflies, or a hybrid of the two.

 Just behind the Palace of Quetzalpapalotl is the Palace of the Jaguars. While you can walk around the patio outside of the Palace, you can only enter a tiny portion of it.

Walking around the patio of the Palace of the Jaguars

This palace had excellently preserved murals.

About the picture above: that is a jaguar. I know, I know, but run with me here. Starting at the tail and running along the back are shells. It's wearing a headband and headdress made of feathers (or so I'm told). In its paw it's holding a snail, and below the snail there are three drops of water. Although this wasn't incredibly well-explained in any form, what I did gather is that the headdress gives them an aspect of greatness, and the water relates them to Tlaloc (the water deity).

Moving on. From the Palace of the Jaguars, you can access el Templo de los Caracoles Emplumados. It is now a subterranean structure, but it is well-lit enough for pictures.

Some of the best-preserved original paintings are along the base.

The outer facade of the Templo de los Caracoles Emplumados. No entrance allowed, but I
suppose that's why they're able to keep the carvings and original painting so well-preserved!

After visiting these sights, and a few other smaller structures, I made my way to the small museum. While the museum wasn't a great photo-op, it provided a lot of good information on all that I had just seen, as well as cultural history. Outside the museum, there were botanical gardens that were a nice place to walk around (and would have been a more shaded place to grab a snack as opposed to sitting out on a pyramid). While the gardens weren't historical, they certainly were pretty.

And they had much-welcomed fresh air!

Random: This is nopal, found growing in the botanical gardens near the
 Teotihuacan museum. People cut the spines off and eat it. The little "toes" on
the top of it are called tuna--a cactus fruit that is also eaten here in Mexico.

And that was my day! 9 hours, 80+ ounces of water, and a red-hot sunburn later; Teotihuacan was definitely worth it.