Today I rode north out of Mexico City with my friend Jesús López to visit the Teotihuacan archaeological site. There’s something to ponder about being in one of the great cities of the world, such as Mexico City, and driving only a short distance to the remains of another great city of a bygone era. The question about Teotihuacan’s past is still not fully answered, and probably never will be. Who were these people who built such magnificent structures and what caused them to fade away?
We continued the long drive through the northern side of Mexico City, which is mainly industrial and surrounded by a monotonous honeycomb of cement block houses and small shops. Even though it was late morning, people were still gathered at every bus stop to be threaded back into the core city. The factory zone passed, but the homes continued on as far as the eye could see, climbing the hills that now rose in front of us. Some landowners have built tall concrete walls along these hills to prevent further encroachment. We finally arrived at Teotihuacan’s east side, driving by dozens of people trying to flag us into their roadside restaurants.
As Jesús and I entered the site and walked past the gauntlet of people selling obsidian statues, knives, and silver necklaces, I realized that I could do little to describe this mysterious place in words. I would let my photographs do the work. And, besides, places that raise more questions than answers are disturbing. Teotihuacan is disturbing. Almost as disturbing as the many vendors that crowd its grounds and dangle trinkets in your face. You can’t blame them, because, as Juan Perez, a vendor of obsidian knives said, “It is my job.” They have to survive and I would do the same.
Jesús and I climbed to the top of the Sun Pyramid, along with a steady stream of people speaking Spanish, French, German, and English. I wanted to ask what was on their minds as they looked out across the plain toward the Moon Pyramid, but decided not to invade their space. After all, I think that most of us don’t really feel the impact of what we’ve seen until later.
It’s after midnight now, Friday morning, and I’m finishing this dispatch as a thunderstorm cleanses the city. Already the trip to Teotihuacan has me drawing parallels. I wonder how much longer Mexico City can continue to grow and not unravel. Will it, like Teotihuacan, become only a page in history in some future millennium–a shallow footprint left behind for others to see, and wonder what happened?
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Visitors climb to the top of both the Moon and Sun
pyramids. The Pyramid del Sol, or Pyramid of the Sun, is 210 feet high and one of the
largest pyramids in Mexico. Just 49 kilometers from the heart of Mexico City, it is one of
the most visited of Mexico’s ancient sites. During the spring equinox, huge crowds
come to Teotihuacan.
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The Teotihuacan (meaning place of the gods) archaeological site has numerous vendors that sell obsidian, onyx wind chimes, necklaces, flutes, and harps. Sandra Carrillo is the woman in the picture. Juan Perez, vendor, admits that too many vendors can make for an unpleasant experience for visitors to the site.
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This is the Pyramid de la Luna, or Pyramid of the
Moon, looking north from the Avenue of the Dead. The Teotihuacan archaeological site
dates back some 2,000 years. It is estimated that nearly 200,000 people lived nearby
and built these religious structures.
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Looking north to the Moon Pyramid from the 210-foot-high Pyramid del Sol, or Pyramid of the Sun. The two are connected by the Avenue of the Dead. Experts believe the city’s builders came from the eastern part of Mexico 2000 years ago. From studying the murals, they think their religion was centered on the rain god, Tlaloc.
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Many Teotihuacan murals exist on the site. This painting depicts
a priest during a ritual procession, possibly in worship of the rain god, Tlaloc. The paintings give insight to
these ancient people, who mysteriously vanished, leaving only ruins to be discovered by the Aztecs, whose
civilization followed.
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Visitors climb the steep narrow steps to the top of the Pyramid del Sol, or Pyramid of the Sun.
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