We took a trip to Teotihuacan to see the pyramids. Teotihuacan is about 30 miles North of the city, and is the site of an ancient city (founded in 300 BC) that may have had as many as 200,000 people at its height in AD 600. I have read that the city was larger than any cities in Europe at that time, and it was a thriving commercial and ceremonial center. Around 650-750 AD the city declined and fell, and it never bounced back tho it was considered a sacred place by the succeeding civilizations, including the Aztecs who named it Teothuacan (Place Where Gods Are Made).
Teotihuacan features two major pyramids, The Sun (above top) and The Moon (above bottom), constructed in the first and second centuries AD.
I'm standing near the top of the Sun in this photo. It is the third largest pyramid in the world. You can see the lesser Moon pyramid in the background. Apparently, these pyramids were originally plastered and painted red.
There were folks of all ages here, including a ton of nuns. Probably at least 150 of them! They were scrambling all over those steps. (And the steps are no joke, quite steep and narrow.) The sun was really bright in Teotihuacan, and we were happy to finish the afternoon by heading to an underground cave just up the road where we had a charmingly mediocre lunch at La Gruta.
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