Day 3 Teotihuacan Pyramids

Teotihuacán (pronounced tay-oh-tee-wah-KAHN), the pyramid-studded, pre-Aztec metropolis 30 miles northeast of present-day Mexico City, once, long ago, served as a cosmopolitan center of the Mesoamerican world.

really interesting to read about this place.  this was a place of religious rituals.  I've read online about a tunnel by the Temple of Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent, though i missed paying attention to that when i was there. (note, looking at my pictures, i can see it!  the white tent in the background! phew. i remember)  We did walk through other excavations by the Pyramid of the Moon. (you an see another white tent behind the boys in one shot)  Benjamin told me that the native people thought that Cortes was Quetzalcoatl, which helped him in his conquest of Mexico.

what an amazing experience to climb pyramids and learn just a bit about the history of Teotihuacan.  E has checked off one of his bucket list items.  he had three goals by the time he turns 100: have a family, see the pyramids (of Egypt) and we forgot the other one.  we were all thrilled to see pyramids of Mexico.   the stairs were steep, and heights make some nervous.  

i loved the brightly colored houses and never could get over the density.  houses built up to the tops of the hills.  

 We approached the Temple of the Feathered Serpent.

 Benjamin was very helpful this day.  keeping the boys energized and track of us all. Grandpa stayed at CCM to work in the clinic.

the stairs were steep so that people approaching the top were on hands and knees, in prayer.  see the tent in back covering ongoing archeology work.

Here is the scene of my camera's demise.  all pics from here on out on that camera were hopefully shot in frame!  for the most part, they turned out well. phew.

a long walk down the Avenue of the Dead to the next two pyramids.

the Temple of the Sun is 200 feet high.

Tyler used his Spanish. He got a cool dagger and a zither.  

Here at Teotihuacan, we heard a scary sound of jaguars from all the vendors.  some of the boys bought fierce jaguar sounding whistles.  Ely learned how to make the sound with his hands (see above pic).  

The Temple of the Moon is 150 feet high.

some of us get nervous on steep steps.  some of us got sunburned.
excavated holy grounds.

After the pyramids Grandma insisted we go to the Cave restaurant.  Tyler was the interpeture.  He sure did a good job.  but it was a little stressful.  We ordered crickets… as an appetizer.  I wasn’t brave enough to try them.  We had front row seats for the neat show too!