After a 9 hour flight to Paris, 5 hours in the Charles de Gaulle airport, and another 12 hour flight to Mexico City, we found ourselves with 1 day to ourselves.
So, we booked Mario P. for both transportation and the guided tour of Teotihuacan, the most visited tourist site in Mexico. He was very knowledgeable and helped to make our tour memorable. We found him on ToursByLocals, an online tour service that we hadn't used before but really like now.
After driving northeast of the city, we started with the Pyramid of the Sun. The Pyramid of the Sun stands 66 meters high and measures 220 by 230 meters. It's an awe inspiring feat of engineering, construction, and astronomy, especially considering it was built approximately 100 CE.
After strolling down the Avenue of the Dead, the Pyramid of the Moon loomed high above us. Built after the Pyramid of the Sun, the Moon covers 130m by 147m and 43m tall.
Animals such as birds, snakes, predators, were sacrificed to the gods. Mario described the human sacrifices as a way to refuel the sun. Those with auspicious birthdays were chosen and the heart was slowly cut out using obsidian blades.
Photo #1: Temple of the Moon
Temple of the Moon
Temple of the Sun
One of the many temples along the Avenue of the Dead
Cardinal
Temple of the Sun
Derwin contemplating what it must have been like to to have been an Aztec back in the day
a demonstration using various plants (and the white material on the cactus) to produce natural dyes
a demonstration using various plants (and the white material on the cactus) to produce natural dyes
Temple of the Moon
The family doing some shopping. The many sellers would approach but were not pushy. "Mi amigo, almost free. Only $1 dollar." They also sold a little whistle that sounded like a jaguar. It scared Kirsi every time they blew the whistle.
Temple of the Moon
Temple of the Moon
Serpent statue
Temple of the Sun
Temple of the Sun
Temple of the Sun
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