Today, we decided to finally explore some of the prehispanic architecture that we’ve heard so much about in Mexico. We decided to visit Teotihuacán, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and situated a relatively short, ~50 minute drive northeast of Mexico City. We left bright and early and surprisingly didn’t hit much traffic at all. Along the way, we got acquainted with our guide, Javier, and learned a bit about Mexico City from his perspective. Please excuse any inaccuracies!

We learned a couple interesting tidbits:

• Mexico refers to the individuals who now inhabit the colorful structures (photos above) on the hills that make up the edges of Mexico City as “parachuters” – i.e., they dropped in and stayed. Apparently, these dwellings are comparable to Brazil’s favelas, although the structures (from afar) appear to be of somewhat sturdier construction
• As many of these people work in the valley that is Mexico City, the government decided to invest in a more cost- and time-effective method to transport these citizens down from their hill dwellings. As a result, there is a robust cable car structure with a variety of lines that takes about ~15 minutes one way (vs. a 45-minute minibus ride)
• Mexico, as the next closest place to the USA, is also highly affected by the migrant crisis in Central and South America right now; apparently Venezuelans are the most common migrants currently (we saw several in Oaxaca), followed by Guatemalans, El Salvadorians, and Cubans landing in the Yucatán
• Because Mexico does not have a welfare system, the only way to get food, housing and medical care is to work; it appears that this is actually a net positive for migrants traveling with nothing but the clothes on their back, as they can peddle, wash windshields, etc. and sleep on the streets (our guide’s perspective – I’m sure it’s much more complex than this). As a result, he noted that many migrants will effectively “work their way up” Mexico, stopping in a town until they have enough money to get to the next town northward, with the ultimate goal of attempting a border crossing into the USA
• There is a train in Mexico known as “La Bestia” (the “Beast”), so called because desperate migrants will quite literally climb aboard, strap themselves to the top of it and take the ride south to north along the cargo route; because of the harsh conditions, obvious physical risks of strapping yourself to the top of a train across long distances, and the potential to be crushed in tunnels, it unfortunately has an extremely high death rate
• Sadly, in addition to those seeking refuge from turmoil in their home nations, many indigenous Mexicans also pursue migration in similar forms, with similarly tragic results

After a somewhat depressing start to our ride, we turned to some more uplifting trivia as we neared the Teotihuacán site. First, we noted many of the cacti en route to the site were nopal – and, apparently, the humble nopal cactus was a big deal for the ancient civilizations here!

Nopal, in addition to being absolutely delicious, served a variety of functions, from food to the base of beverages, to actually being part of the construction materials for the pyramids (although not in the way you’d expect!). The nopal “slime” (similar to okra) was actually an ingredient in the stucco that covered all of the pyramids and other structures when mixed with water and clay. In addition, the nopal has an endemic bug that contributed the vibrant “red” color that the pyramid murals are famous for (photo examples to follow!). The nopal was in fact so famous (and still is for its health properties and food uses) that there was a town (Nopaltepec) dedicated solely to the raising and production of it in ancient times (which, by the way, apparently still exists today and exports significantly to Japan!). The nopal also produces both green and red fruit (prickly pears), which are delicious (and also amusingly called ‘tuna’ in Spanish).

We also learned a great deal about Teotihuacán before we even arrived. Apparently, this society was historic even to the Aztec, who settled in this area of Mexico in the ~1400s. The Teotihuacános, as the civilization’s individuals are called, actually lived in this area from ~300 BCE to ~800 CE. Very little is known of them, as they left no trace of a written language and/or did not name their places themselves. Instead, what we know today is largely through the eyes of the Aztecs, who came upon the remains of the pyramids and were impressed by their staggering size. The Aztecs also processed Teotihuacán through their own cosmology – for example, the names “Sun Pyramid”, “Moon Pyramid” and “Avenue of Death” are all completely borne of Aztec interpretations of the site from their own worldview; modern archeology has tried to appropriately rename these structures using the indigenous Nahuatl names, such as Pyramid of Quetzalcoatl (“Feathered Serpent”).

It’s also unknown why the civilization of Teotihuacán crumbled; the best hypothesis is that civil or social unrest led to a civil war within the community and the civilization as it was known disappeared / dispersed (it’s said some of the Teotihuacános migrated slightly north and became part of Toltec settlements). Interestingly, it seems that the Teotihuacános were an otherwise peaceful society – unlike the Aztecs, there are no signs whatsoever from years of excavation that human sacrifice was performed, nor are the pyramids in any way a funerary site / grave for civilians or rulers (in fact, they are completely filled in and flat on top, suggesting use as temples).

We also learned some interesting facts about the Aztecs, including:

• While they admired Teotihuacán, they did not want to settle there since they were looking to settle in a place where an eagle was eating a snake (now a national symbol of Mexico, featured on the flag)
• The Aztecs ultimately found their sign in current day Mexico City, which at the time was actually more of a marsh / series of islands
• To protect their cities, the Aztecs would not only have bridges (typically one for each cardinal direction) protected by warriors, but also entire walls – composed solely of the skulls of sacrificial victims – to scare away any encroaching would-be enemies
• When the Conquistadors arrived, Montezuma actually perceived them as gods given he had no frame of reference for a horse, long beard or white skin (this error in judgment not only decimated his people, but led to his own demise by his people’s own doing)
• Sadly, the Conquistadors decided to crumble the Aztec pyramids and other structures to create a solid bedrock and “fill in” the marsh / canals that otherwise made up their cities; as a result, there are miles and miles of Aztec artifacts that get churned up any time Mexico City does any type of construction (although sadly, none of the original Aztec structures remain)
• Sacrifice was truly perceived as an “honor” in the Aztec society, and in fact, something that prestigious families would seek out (i.e., if you offered one of your family members for sacrifice, your family would be especially blessed); similarly, the “winners” of the juego de pelota game (the famous ball game) would also get sacrificed and this was considered an honor

Alright – enough with the impromptu history lesson. Teotihuacán is fantastic and I’d highly recommend a visit to anyone. One thing I really appreciated was the way that the signage included not only Spanish and English but local Nahuatl as well.

Walking into the complex, it’s absolutely stunning and the scale of these pyramids is absolutely staggering.

One interesting tidbit: ~40% of the structures are rebuilt, and you can tell because the archeologists who rebuilt it added little rows of tiny stones to denote the reconstruction; you can also see the difference in the colors of the rocks – the white ones are typically original, as the pyramids were originally covered in white stucco (which also formed the base for the murals). Below are the “Sun Pyramid” (top, bottom left and middle) and “Moon Pyramid” (bottom right).

As you walk up to the pyramids, you can also see how steep the stairs were (having walked up and down them at a later temple, I can attest – one poor man was literally crawling up on his hands and knees!). This design was actually purposeful, with the goal of making the priests conducting rituals at the top of the temples walk sideways, effectively avoiding turning their backs on the gods at any point. As you get close, you also notice that the pyramids basically look like multiple structures joined together – apparently over time, they were expanded and fortified, basically growing larger with each iteration. The acoustics were also impressive, supposedly allowing a priest at the top of the pyramid to be easily heard by the civilians on the ground in the plaza during festivals and ceremonies.

One thing we learned was that the jaguar was of special significance for the Teotihuacános. This became apparently clear when every peddler had a “jaguar roar” noise making whistle, which was super unsettling and never stopped startling me throughout our adventures. As we wandered, we learned that in addition to jaguars, parrots (which were seen during trade expeditions to the southern parts of Mexico) and serpents were also highly auspicious creatures. Water was also extremely important, as it was seen as an integral part of the underworld. Hairless dogs were also perceived as being the guardian of souls on the way to the underworld. We saw these items in themes throughout the complex.

Below is an original image of a jaguar traversing “water” (the red ‘waves’) on his way to the underworld.

These frescoes below were of a serpent eating corn, with tears and water imagery as well.

Frankly, most of the complex is ruins and you can’t really climb to the top of the pyramids anymore, so just taking in the size, magnitude and design of the remaining stucco / murals was sufficient for a great view! You can also see how these images would have been incorporated into reliefs / how the construction was ‘thick’ all the way through the pyramids.

In addition to the pyramids themselves, we were able to see the remains of the Palace (aka the living quarters – which included a nice sauna set up!). It had an unsurprisingly great view of the pyramids and beautiful decor.

As we continued the tour, we got a final look at the Moon Pyramid and some additional sights of the Sun Pyramid. Moon Pyramid:

Sun Pyramid:

We opted to walk the additional 1km to the temple of the “Feathered Serpent” which took us through an additional series of temples along the “Avenue of Death” (again, an Aztec label) that would have likely been more of a series of temples / plazas / shops for the multicultural society back in the day (apparently many cultures across Mexico came to trade with Teotihuacán, including the Oaxacan Zapotecs and others).

Interestingly, the last pyramid (“Featured Serpent”) has the largest plaza and the best preserved relief artwork.

Unlike the other two pyramids (which were essentially constructed and then ‘added to’ over the time, such that the final huge pyramids each include 7-8 smaller pyramids dating back ~1000 years inside), the Teotihuacános decided to build the “new” pyramid in front of the older pyramid. The result is that the “older” pyramid actually retained its structure and original relief artwork, likely as a result of the protection from the elements afforded by the “new” pyramid right next door. I have to say, the artwork was absolutely incredible.

Once we finished up this temple (and had gotten in our world class Stairmaster for the day!), we headed out for our next destination: the Basílica de Santa María de Guadalupe, which is the second-most important church in Mexico after the CDMX Cathedral. As mentioned in an earlier post, the Virgen de Guadalupe is one of Mexico’s national symbols. The story goes that, during the colonial period, an indigenous man named Diego received a vision from the Virgin Mary. She instructed him to tell the Spanish bishop about the vision; seeking proof after being brushed off by the bishop, Diego then met with the Virgin again. She told him to pick roses from the top of a hill and put them in his robes to take to the bishop – when he arrived, they spilled out and his robes were actually stained with the now famous image of the Virgin herself. First, a chapel was built in the mid-1500s on top of the hill where the roses were picked; then, a basilica was built in the mid-1600s, and then a newer church was built in the 1900s. Below is the 17th century church:

The mid-1600s church is actually suffering from significant structural compromise today; you can see how it’s basically leaning / sinking into the foundations (to be clear, the entire structure used to be on the same level as the yellow line on the ground in the photo above, the sloping downward has happened in the centuries since). This is primarily the result of the “marsh” that Mexico City is built on (as per the Aztecs); the Mexico City government has started pumping in liquid concrete to restore the foundation, but work is ongoing to stabilize the church.

Being inside the church is a trip – since it’s sloping so significantly, you definitely feel vertigo standing inside and we could only tolerate it for a few minutes. You can see pretty significant cracks on the walls too (left photo below).

The modern church was also an architectural marvel, although in a very different sense. Built much more recently, it has an extremely modern perspective on iconography. The church itself was designed to be multifunctional and holds mass every hour – it is also decided to be similar to the Vatican in that services can be held facing the large plaza when the Pope visits. The Basilica gets up to 30 million visitors a year, often as pilgrimages from whole towns across Mexico.

The design was incredible, from the blue sloped roof to the stained glass to the modern decor on the doors. Inside, there’s a similarly unique design and the confessionals are hyper-modern as well.

Since the space was defined to be multifunctional and so many pilgrims visit, they’ve actually found a super creative solution to ensure that pilgrims can visit the cloth of Diego (framed on the far wall of the Basilica just above the altar) while services are ongoing. Meet: the pilgrim people-mover. Quite literally a moving walkway / a la an airport, it was an ingenious solution.

After viewing the cloth, we proceeded to the next stop, which is the area where votive candles are lit. Since there are so many pilgrims, the lighting of votive candles is not allowed inside the church (instead, the flowers brought by visitors and pilgrims are displayed for each service). Outside, there are 4-5 different areas where votive candles can be lit. At the end of the day, the leftover wax is then stripped from the votive candle holders and melted together into the candles used on the altar during services. The space was beautiful and very peaceful.

Once we wrapped up with the Basilica, we finished driving back to our hotel in Mexico City (the Basilica is located on the border between the state of Mexico and the city). Sadly, driving back through the outskirts of Mexico city showcased some of the extremely poverty and socioeconomic stratification that exists in the country. While neighborhoods like Polanco could be plucked out of the richest European nations, the area near the Basilica and for the next ~30 minutes of the drive into the city was a heartbreaking mix of individuals with visible, unaddressed disabilities (many of which appeared to be things that could have been treated or at least improved with affordable healthcare such as clubfeet, broken and/or severely bent canes used by the blind, etc.), extreme poverty, and clear chemical dependency / mental illness issues).

Sitting in traffic, I noticed our guide tsk at something – but, unlike most usual instances where someone is trying to wash the windshield, he was looking at something happening in front of us. Looking out the window, I saw a boy no more than seven years old begging for money – and heart wrenchingly, putting coins he received from the car ahead of us in a large, cheerful pink piggy-bank.

I’ll admit, that was extremely hard to watch and created a pretty somber feeling for the remainder of the ride home. When we arrived, we took some time to decompress before we headed out for a little self-guided food tour through Roma Norte (see the next blog!).

Overall, we ended up walking over 9 miles and really appreciated getting to see these two beautiful sites outside of Mexico City.