Teotihuancan Pyramids
The main Teotihuacan pyramid, The Pyramid of the Sun, standing almost 250 feet tall, is the seventh tallest pyramid in the world, and it was built at an altitude of over 7500 feet. Teotihuacan was the largest ancient city of Mesoamerica, and remains an important cultural and religious site today.
Located an hour outside of the fifth largest city in the world, the Teotihuacan pyramids are relatively easy to get to. We decided to take a bus, which turned out to be an interesting method, and got us to our destination in an hour and a half. From the moment we arrived, we could see the Pyramid of the Sun rising above the hill in front of us, rising over 200 feet into the air.
We were instantly awed at its size, and how perfectly straight the lines still were considering it’s nearly two thousand years old. Another thing that struck us instantly was the sheer amount of handcrafted wares being sold. At any point around the pyramid, you could always see at least one vendor, oftentimes carrying their goods in baskets, or had them laid out on blankets. Some of the common items were obsidian knives, necklaces, and carved figurines. Being travelers, and about to leave Mexico City, we didn’t get anything while we were there, but it was still intriguing to look at what was being offered.
What we didn’t know at the time was most of the history related to the pyramids and the ancient city that once surrounded it. Teotihuacan first became a city around 200 BC, and grew rapidly from there, and around the time the pyramids were completed, the population had reached around 125,000 people, making it the largest or one of the largest cities of the time. Its population was also boosted by the eruption of a volcano, which destroyed its largest competing city. Teotihuacan was also the largest trade hub, and with a population consisting of people from all over mesoamerica, there were a wide range of crafts that they had to offer, some of which had been replicated as souvenirs.
In ancient times, the city of Teotihuacan was a bustling place, full of amazing buildings and crafts, and today it still retains some of that beauty, with the massive pyramids and the traditional products. Teotihuacan is definitely a place worth visiting.
