Teotihuacan tour
Booked myself in for a full-day tour of Teotihuacan today. The tour included an early start of 9am, from the hostel's front door (which I was late for); a tour of Tlatelolco, the ruins of ancient Tenochtitlan, inside Mexico City; a trip to the Lady of Guadaloupe, the largest church (and a collection of several churches) in Latin America; and a trip to the archaeological site of ancient and majestic Teotihuacan itself.
Tlatelolco is only a small site, and it's surrounded by the sprawl of Mexico City. But it's also a very significant historical place in Mexico, for three reasons.
The ruins of Tlatelolco.
Firstly, Tlatelolco was the heart of Tenochtitlan, which was the capital city of the entire Aztec Empire, as well as the city on which Mexico City was built. Tlatelolco contains the central Aztec altars that were used for the human sacrifice that formed a very important part of that civilisation's culture.
Secondly, it was the place where Hernán Cortés defeated the Aztecs (against overwhelming odds) in the early 16th century. Much blood was shed in order for Cortés to claim this victory.
Thirdly, it was the very same place where over a hundred students were murdered by the Mexican military, in the pre-Olympic student protests of 1968. So, all up, a great deal of blood has been shed in this one location throughout its long history.
The square where Mexican students were massacred in 1968.
The lady of Guadaloupe is an impressive Catholic church, and a rather massive one too (like I said, the biggest church in Latin America). The Guadaloupe church itself is quite modern, but there are no less than 4 older churches next to it, which honour the 4 apparitions in which the Lady herself (thought to be a reincarnation of the Virgin Mary) appeared to various people.
The Lady of Guadaloupe church.
Teotihuacan is an absolutely amazing archaeological site. The two biggest attractions there, of course, are the ancient pyramids. El Pirámide del Sol is the bigger one (at 65 metres tall, it's the 3rd-tallest pyramid in the world), but El Pirámide de la Luna has the better view.
Yo y 4 amigos, atop the world’s numero 3 pyramid.
I, of course, was a total moron, and raced another guy up the 65 metres of steps to the top, after which I was quite exhausted.
Despite popular belief, Teotihuacan is actually not an Aztec city — it predates the Aztecs, and nobody knows the real name of the city or of the civilisation (the Aztecs named it Teotihuacan when they discovered the ruins). The ancients of this city worshipped the Sun God above all else, as the bringer of life to the Earth.
There were also an enormous number of peddlers selling their wares. They had absolutely everything, from sombreros to wooden flutes, from ice creams to necklaces. All that they were missing was something — anything — useful.