Located about 25 miles from Mexico City, the Teotihuacan archeological zone preserves some of the largest and most impressive prehistoric structures in the world. Believed to have been occupied for about 500 years beginning around the first century, the city’s population was estimated to have been about 125,000. The highlight of the site is the giant Pyramid of the Sun, which rises approximately 800 feet above the surrounding plaza and covers an area of almost 3,800 square feet.
Most tourists swarm to the massive Pyramid of the Sun (Pyrámide del Sol), which, at 246 feet tall, is the third-tallest pyramid in the world, sitting on a square base of 637,000 square feet (about 14.5 acres or 11 football fields). It’s possible to climb the stairs to the very top of the pyramid, which I think is ironic considering that when they were built, the pyramids were off-limits to all but royalty and high-priests.
I went on a Sunday afternoon, as did a few thousand other common people. The archaeological zone is open to the public free of charge on Sundays, so it gets pretty crowded. It also happened to be the day after an NFL football game between the Oakland Raiders and New England Patriots and I was amazed at how many of the visitors were wearing black Raiders gear. Lines approaching the stairs up the Pyramid and the open areas of the Pyramid looked like they had been decorated with black bunting.
Fortunately, I was spending the night in a hotel adjacent to the zone and planning on returning on Monday morning. I was glad to have seen the crowd on Sunday and even more glad to be there almost alone on Monday.
