How can a city be left behind? What causes a metropolis to loose its inhabitants? Why am I standing in a desert between Mexican hills, between the pyramids of Teotihuacan, wondering where all the people have gone?
The details are beautiful. The walls, so grey and hurt by pollution that they have almost become smoky black, all have the same patterns. These shells, put into what looks like the cement holding the stones together, are one of the characteristics / trademarks of this former city. You can see them everywhere, in every structure still standing upright on this historic site.
Instagram moments
Teotihuacan is on every tourist’s list. Partially because it is easily reached on a daytrip from Mexico City. Partially because it was almost made for Instagram moments, although the Mayan founders (probably the Toltec people) were probably not setting up for the digital age.
You don’t have to be interested in history and architecture to enjoy this site. Though the initial rendez-vous doesn’t exactly elude love on first site. This is still Mexico and not America, of course, so it hasn’t exactly been turned into a Disney experience.
The entrance is nothing more than a shabby small wooden building. Before me is a vast open space, a bucket of sand with some small terraced old buildings in front of me. The big pyramids are far away to the left.
Underwhelming
This is… underwhelming. You are left disoriented, with information tables spread across the plains, sometimes degraded to a degree you can’t really read them. And then there are the souvenir salesmen, friendly old Mexican guys that blow a whistle that makes a spine-chilling, annoying noise. A sound that will not leave you for the next few hours.
Of course you can take a tour of the highlights. Actually, lots of tourists come with organized tours that drop you close to the pyramids so you can do a quick one-hour visit. But that’s cheating… and it’s also a bit like sex without foreplay. The anticipation is part of the experience.
Feathered Serpent
The not-so-huge not-so-pyramiddy building in front of me turns out to be the Feathered Serpent Pyramid. This was one of the most important Gods in those days and is replicated several times on the sides of this building.
It really of course is the appetizer for the main dish(es). It also kickstarts your imagination into what it must have been 1,500 years ago, when it was one of the world’s biggest cities with the estimated 175,000 inhabitants.
Bit by bit the information feeds your understanding of how sophisticated this culture actually was. Like modern-day Mexico, the buildings were apparently very colorful. Now this site looks like it has been made for black-and-white photography.
The amount of pottery, tools, carved wood and much more on display at Teotihuacan’s museum is astonishing. A miniature version of the former city gives you an impression how things looked around 500AD. And it shows the terraced stone constructions with the temples on top of it that have by now vanished completely.
Avenue of the dead
The museum is a deviation of the main road. The building even has one glassed facade, giving you an unusual perspective of the Pyramid of the Sun. But that highlight has to wait a little bit more. Because to climb it one must return to the main road. The Avenue of the Dead, a name that instills respect.
This one gets better and better, with small pyramids on both sides. For some strange reason the Pyramid of the Sun, the biggest structure in the former city, is the only asymmetrical part, a 63-metre-high pyramid not mirrored on the other side of the street.
From up close you see it is not really a pyramid as you would expect, in the sense that it has some flat parts as you go from level to level. This one goes up at a steep angle, with high steps, obviously accompanied by shriek annoying noises. But the view at the top, well, that’s what you come to Teotihuacan for.
Tourists
It is probably one of the two places here that actually feel crowded and touristy. Everyone wants to have a selfie at the top, of course. Wise men take it five metres further down, where you actually have time to point and shoot more precisely. In the early early morning this must be an amazing, quiet spot, to just let your thoughts drift away and enjoy the silence.
The funny thing of course is that the most impressive pictures of this pyramid can only be taken from another spot. The Pyramid of the Moon, only 46 metres high, and crowning the end of the Avenue of the Dead, was almost made for it. You can only climb it halfway, but this is the perfect spot to admire the awesomeness and size of this place. The avenue stretches out before your feet, with lots of smaller buildings draped around it. And the Pyramid of the Sun dominates your view on the left side.
By this time it’s time for dessert. On your right side the Palace of Quetzalpapelotl (never mind the pronunciation) gives you an impression of the richfulness and colorfulness of the civilization. One last horrible whistle and you have really conquered Teotihuacan.
And the answer to the question we started with? Nobody really knows. Some suggested that neighboring tribes and cities chased the people from Teotihuacan away. Others suggest earthquakes or a gradual decline of the society. The city still manages to keep that secret for itself.
Good to know:
- public transport leaves from the subway station Terminal Autobuses del Norte
- Go to the left side of this huge terminal to gate 8 and buy a return ticket at the Autobuses Teotihuacan counter (only around 4 dollars, cash only)
- Buses go every 20 to 30 minutes (from 6am onwards) and take another hour to get to the site. Beware though that the place only opens at 9am
- Exit at gate 1 (some buses only stop at gate 2) and buy your entrance ticket there. You might have to pay extra if you want to make videos, if you only have a photo camera just hide it and act ignorant
- You can hire guides near the entrance. No worry, they will find you
- Bring lots of water. There is a restaurant near gate 1 and a cafe near the museum, including a machine with drinks. But this desert plain can get hot
- After your visit (you need at least 3-4 hours for a good look, including the museum) you can have ridiculously good-value meals outside the gates. Especially around the Avenida de Piramides, a short walk towards gate 1, you can find restaurants that serve a three-course menu del dia for a couple of dollars. Ridiculous, and a real Mexican experience
- Be careful not to miss the latest bus, though that is usually around 5pm. You probably want to be back in Mexico City by that time though, so you can still catch the subway before it gets dark
You can find more pictures here.