Teotihuácan Pyramids & More!

One of the places I wanted to visit while here in Mexico was Teotihuácan, we not only went to the pyramid of the Sun & Moon but also saw Toltec and other pyamids. Here is some info on Teotihuácan:

Teotihuacan (Nahuatl: Teotihuácan, "place where gods were made, city of the god

s' ) is the name given by the Aztecs to the remains of ancient urban center of Mesoamerica before them and reached zenith during the Classical Period and currently an archaeological site located in the valley of the same name, which is part of the Basin of Mexico. Distance 45 km northeast of Mexico City and is part of the municipalities of San Juan Teotihuacan and San Martin de las Piramides, on the northeastern state of Mexico.

We took plenty of photos!

Here is Edith and I with the pyramid of the moon in the background. The weather here had been mild since we arrived but as luck would have it, on this day it was hot. We were out in the sun all day and got sunburned even though we used sunscreen and each of us bought a hat to wear during our exploration of the site.

Edith joked that I looked like "Indiana Jones" exploring the

lost cities of Mexico. I was just glad for the shade. :-D

This is a view of the Pyramid of The Sun, which is about a quarter of a mile down the main road from the Pyramid of the Moon.

The early history of Teotihuacan is quite mysterious, and the origin of its founders is debated. For many years, archaeologists believed it was built by the Toltec. This belief was based on colonial period texts, such as the Florentine Codex, which attributed the site to the Toltecs. However, the Nahuatl word "Toltec" generally means "craftsman of the highest level" and may not always refer to the Toltec civilization centered at Tula, Hidalgo. Since Toltec civilization flourished centuries after Teotihuacan, the people could not have been the city's founders.

In this photo you see the head of Quetzalcoatl, a Mesoamerican deity whose name comes from the Nahuatl language and has the meaning of "feathered-serpent".

Quetzalcoatl was one of several important gods in the Aztec pantheon along with the gods Tlaloc, Tezcatlipoca and Huitzilopochtli.

While we were at Teotihuacan some archeologists (STORY) discovered tunnels under the city that may lead to more knowledge about the builders of the pyramids.

We also visited Tula, the home of the famous

Toltec statues. We had a fun day of exploring and I picked up some souvenirs including a Mayan medallion made of silver, a Toltec statue and other items. I also shot plenty of video and I'll post it here when we return to the states and I can edit the clips together.

I'd also like to thank my wonderful wife Edith for the FLIP video camera I received for my birthday. It came in very handy on this trip! Thank you Baby!

J.