Teotihuacan (December 21)

(The map of the day, and, as always, click on any pictures to see a larger, more detailed, size.)

Armed with a pastry breakfast, we took a subway to the bus station on our thrid day in Mexico City. We were headed to the pyramid site of Teotihuacan (see the Wikipedia website and archeology website for tonnes of info). Luckily, one of the subway lines has a stop at the north bus station (Mexico City has 4 main bus stations, each referred to by its relative cardinal direction within the city). After one subway transfer, we arrived at the station with no difficulty.

The bus terminal was crowded with hawkers and people loaded down with luggage. There were at least 20 different bus lines, all operating out of the terminal. We managed to find the bus line that goes to Teotihuacan, and got tickets for the next bus which would be leaving in 2 minutes. (Buses leave about every 30 minutes.) We sprinted for the gate, and hopped on the well-worn bus. Settling in for the 90 minute ride, we ate our breakfast and watched the slums zip by the windows.

We arrived at the site, and the only other people to get off the bus were the only other white people that were on the bus. We got into the site for free, because we were Mexican teachers (this phenomenon occurred at every museum and pyramid site we went to). This HUGE site is recognized by UNESCO and has extensive remains.



Despite the accreditation, everywhere we looked locals were standing around trying to sell cheap souvenirs. We could have also hired a guide for $350MXN for 2 hours; we opted to by a book for $100MXN and go on our own. This area was 'active' from about 200BC - 1000AD; the amount of remains is impressive. The first site we saw was the 'castle', which is a large, sunken area, surrounded by a raised wall with pyramids, with 2 large pyramids in the middle of the area. Some of the wall:



Here is a close-up of a section of the surrounding wall:





The smaller, front pyramid:



It bears noting that 'pyramid' and 'temple' are used interchangeably at every site we went to. Archeological digging was being done on the area in front of the pyramid we could climb,






Restoration work was being done on the larger pyramid behind it. These carved heads are from this pyramid (shot taken from atop small front pyramid):





Done with this area, we headed down the lengthy Avenue of the Dead, which runs north-south for 2 kilometres. Along the road, which for the most part was dug into the earth, were more ruins of buildings and small temples. The temples housed priests and high-ranking peoples in addition to being used for religious activities. There is not much remaining of the homes of the common folk, as they were likely made of more fragile (ie: grass, mud) building materials, as opposed to rock. Here's a shot with the Avenue of the Dead in the background.



Onward to the biggie, the Pyramid of the Sun. Here's a side view:



Looking at it head-on. There's an alter right in the front, and tiny tiny people at the summit:



This is one of those things that 'bus tourists' come to see, just to check off on their list of Important Things to See in Mexico. Case in point: there's a large parking lot, and a second site entrance, right near this pyramid for ease access for the tourist hordes to come and go, without having to bother with the rest of the sights or the far walk. Here's a view of that lot from the top of the Pyramid:



Near the base of this pyramid was a decrepit looking first aid trailer, and signs were posted advising you not to climb if you had heart problems.



By the way, the only thing you can do on any of these buildings is climb them; there is no public access to actually go inside the tunnels within the massive structures. The steps up were VERY steep, and although there were several levels, on which you could catch your breath, it felt as though you would climb forever:



It surprised me the number of rotund people and children that were making their way to the top. There were no railings along the steep edges of the platforms, and parents were letting their screaming children run all over the place....At the very top, there was a raised platform of uneven rocks. Some guy was leading a group of expensive-looking white people, none of whom were wearing their shoes, through some chants and stretches to the Sun God. Yeah, it was really inspiring. Anyways, the view from the top was amazing. Distant view of the Castle area we went to first. Recall that this is where we entered the site, and how far we walked to get here (versus the lazy nearness of the bus-entrance):



The Avenue of the Dead; note how it's dug in:



The Pyramid of the Moon:



Bird's eye view of the typical ruins found along the avenue:



Looking down the steep sides, I wondered how many slaves were thrown to their deaths by the priests. We carefully made our way back down, which felt more precarious than going up due to the uneven heights and surfaces of the steps.

The Pyramid of the Moon was further down the road, and although smaller than the Pyramid of the Sun, it was no less spectacular (and it was less crowded; I guess no one feels as strongly towards the Moon God). Note the alter in the forground, and the tiny people at the summit:



The following are some views from the very top. First, to the right (the pyramid in the foreground is the one we are on top of in the self-portrait picture further along in this post):



A view of the Avenue of the Dead. Note the abundance of temples on either side of the road, and the alter in front of this pyramid:



A view to the right, with the Pyramid of the Sun in the background:



I'm descending the pyramid. These ancients loved steep steps:



We began the long journey back to our entrance, so we could catch a bus back to the city. On the way, we explored more of the ruins that lines the Avenue of the Dead. Mostly consisting of waist-high walls, it was hard to imagine what form these buildings once took. I'd like to thank the camera's self-timer, which afforded us this picture; we're on top of some random pyramids (like the ones in the background) along the Avenue of the Dead; note on the very right is the Pyramid of the Sun:



Spotted some paintings, still vibrant, of jaguars (a seeming favorite) which is amazing considering their age. This first painting is found along the Avenue of the Dead, where it's had more exposure to the elements:



This second one is from inside the Temple of the Plumed Serpent:



We also trespassed down into a sunken room to get a view of the carved alter within. Note the caved jaguar head with tongue:





We got back to the parking lot, and miraculously, a bus appeared and we got a ride back to the city. In all, we spent over 5 hours running around and exploring. Given that it was 30+ degrees, we ended up being quite sunburnt. After arriving in the city, we subwayed back to the hotel, freshened up, and dressed for a dinner date. We took a subway to Zona Rosa, which is a trendy and artsey (read: gay) area of the city. We got off at the Insurgents subway stop, which is located in the middle of a traffic circle. It was insane. An entire market was crammed into the little area; the noise (cars, horns, hawkers, TVs, music), smells (exhaust, boiling oil, fried meat, urine), and sights (flashing lights, people waving things at you) was overwhelming to say the least.

Trying to look like we knew where we were going, we eventually found our way to our destination: Fonda el Refugio. It was semi-formal, small, and had bi-lingual menus!! We both ordered a mixed plate, as there were too many tempting dishes. Of course there was an appetizer of guacamole and salsa with house-made chips. Awesome with beer after a long, hot, dehydrating day.

The entrees had:

• a red enchilada with chicken with a weird bitter (but still good) flavor;
• a fried perogy-type thing filled with salty cheese;
• a shredded chicken flauta;
• mashed beans; and
• a long strip of very tender beef.

It was to die for. All very very good. The impeccable service brought us a fruit platter for dessert, which contained unpeeled oranges, limes, white sweet radishes, unshelled peanuts, and a stick of what looked like bamboo. We didn't know how to eat that, so after a failed attempt to cut it, we left it on the plate.

And now for the excitement of the evening: we obviously took a subway home to the hotel. On route, we discovered just how 'artsey' the area was, as we, as a heterosexual couple, became a visible minority as more and more homosexual (male) couples were seen makeing out on the street. We made it onto a subway car without incident. But then, at a stop, 2 very filthy and shabby guys hopped on. One was the talker; he began hooting and hollering about something, apparently selling something. The other, who was shirtless (with a scabbed and scarred back) was holding a bundle of cloth, which he spread out on the floor at our feet (the only open space happened to be in front of us). In the cloth were broken up beer bottles. While the talker kept talking, the shirtless guy proceeded to sit down on the floor, and then smash his bare back onto the broken bottles repeatedly, rolling slightly to grind them in. He then suddenly stood up, and I think we were supposed to give money to the 2 of them for their performance. Shard of glass clung to his skin, and blood dripped down his back. We were horrified. Mostly concerned with not getting blood on us, we did not give any money, and were greatly relieved when they got off on the next stop. We never saw anything like that again on any of our many subway rides, thank god.