Teotihuacan Pyramids

Teotihuacan, in the State of Mexico about 50 kilometres northeast of Mexico City, was the largest city in the pre-Columbian Americas between roughly 100 and 650 AD and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. The visit centres on the Avenue of the Dead, a roughly two-kilometre processional axis lined with platforms and temple bases. At its northern end stands the Pyramid of the Moon, and halfway along on the east side rises the Pyramid of the Sun, one of the largest pyramids in the Western Hemisphere. Visitors can climb the steep stairways of the Pyramid of the Sun, and the climb rewards with views along the whole avenue. The Pyramid of the Moon offers the best vantage over the avenue and the Sun pyramid, though climbing to the top platform is restricted in some periods. At the southern end, the Ciudadela complex holds the Temple of the Feathered Serpent, whose facade carries sculpted serpent heads and headdresses. Residential compounds such as Tepantitla and Atetelco preserve painted murals depicting deities and ritual scenes, and an on-site museum near the southern entrance displays excavated objects and a scale model of the city. The site is large, open and almost shadeless, so a full visit typically takes three to five hours of walking on uneven stone and dirt. Gates open at 9:00 AM and close around 5:00 PM daily, and arriving at opening is the best way to climb before the heat and the tour buses arrive from Mexico City. Weekends, public holidays and the spring equinox, when thousands gather in white clothing, are the busiest times; weekday mornings are quietest. Admission is around 95 MXN for international adults, with free entry for Mexican citizens on certain days. Hot air balloon flights at sunrise drift over the pyramids and are booked separately with local operators. Vendors sell obsidian souvenirs along the avenue, and several restaurants near the Gate 1 and Gate 3 entrances serve regional dishes, including pulque from the surrounding agave country. Sun hat, water and sunscreen are essential at 2,300 metres of altitude.