Our big plan for the day was to visit Teotihuacan and Guadalupe with a guide arranged by our hotel. Our guide, Eduardo nicknamed Lalo, picked us up and we headed northeast. We were concerned as there was a planned protest regarding truck driver safety and possibly blocking of the highway, but they ended up blocking just one lane. Here’s a picture of some the protests as we drove by:
It was great to have a comfortable SUV as Lalo pointed out various sites and explained Mexico City’s transportation system. We even saw these super long gondolas and he explained 4 million cars drive throughout the city each day. He joked there’s no rush hour, but rush day! We even passed a monastery where apparently piñatas were invented - I loved piñatas at birthday parties as a kid.
Some views from the highway including El Vigilante or The Vigilant wearing a bird mask representing the god of wind and guards Ecatepec de Morelos, a municipality which we passed through:
But most of today was spent at Teotihuacan, a Mesoamerican city and known for the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon. Teotihuacan is the name in Nahuatl, or the Aztec language. Located about 25 miles northeast, it took about an hour to get there. Also known as the City of the Gods and built to represent the universe, it continues to be studied by archaeologists with murals, neighborhoods, and sacrificial culture as there are altars all over. It was established 100 BCE and lasted until the 7th or 8th centuries. It had been routinely sacked as well as destroyed by extreme weather. Apparently it is the most-visited archeological site in Mexico and UNESCO World Heritage site and known for obsidian or black volcanic stone.
When we entered, we saw this statue with the replica in the Anthropology museum. There was a also a modern building in front which had the floor collapse and Lalo joked, the older buildings held up better than the modern ones!
Here’s the auditorium:
And building remnants:
But we walked over to Temple of the Feathered Serpent, which were the only significant steps we climbed today as the other pyramids have been closed since the pandemic. Also a popular sound and light show has not resumed since the pandemic as well.
Walking up was easy as we zigzagged instead of going straight up as shown below:
Here’s the flat top of the pyramid which functioned like a chapel - they wanted to stay close to the gods when they made their sacrifices:
Inside the pyramid, they found over 200 sacrificial burials. Lalo explained for about every 12 men, there was one woman and the men were mostly warriors. Children were sacrificed as well as they were seen as pure. Along the steps, you could see these figures and I tried to impersonate them:
Here are some pictures from the top:
Going down, we were to the side as Lalo said, we can’t turn our backs to the gods:
Here are some neighborhoods where people lived:
We also learned they would superimpose buildings and build on top of the layers of the city. Apparently there are 7 layers here, but Lalo says he can only identify 5:
Here was a window viewing, so we could see underneath and see these statues:
Here’s the Pyramid of the Sun:
Here, we are walking down the Avenue of the Dead lined with altars to the Pyramid of the Moon and we stopped to see a mural of a puma or cougar:
Then here’s the pyramid itself:
Here’s a Moon in front of the Pyramid of the Moon:
Lalo explained as a painter took different extracts from various plants to show the origins of colors for the murals, a precursor to our next stops:
We visited Quetzalpapálotl (meaning feathered butterfly) complex which includes an administrative building of the city and several houses with stone reliefs and murals. Here’s the Courtyard of Pillars with the bright red:
Some murals in the Palace of Jaguars:
And an area devoted to fertility with great murals of sacred birds:
The left side of the door is original stone and the right is machine-made which Lalo considered ugly:
We then headed to an artisan market where we learned about agave and tried different kinds of tequila and drinks:
We lunched at La Gruta or Grotto restaurant which I had seen on a Korean travel show and Instagram. It was cool descending and seeing the setup of brightly colored chairs. They serve pre-Hispanic food and delicious margaritas - we had tamarind, mango, and prickly pear. After the meal, they give you a candle to leave:
Our next stop was the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a marian shrine and the 2nd most visited church after St. Peter’s in Vatican City. On its holy days on December 11th to 12th, approximately 7 million people visit to commemorate the 5 apparitions of Mary that Juan Diego, a local peasant and his uncle Juan Bernardino saw in 1531. The Virgin of Guadalupe is considered the Patroness of Mexico and the Continental Americas as well as the reason why many natives converted to Catholicism.
What was housed in the original basilica and then moved and more protected after someone tried to destroy it with dynamite, is a venerated image on a cloak or tilmàtli. According to the story, when Juan Diego opened his cloak in front of the Archbishop, the image of the Virgin appeared and roses which are not native, fell out. Protected by bullet-proof glass, it hangs behind the altar and you stand on a moving walkway to take quick photos:
Last year I had visited Fatima and Lourdes, which are also marian shrines, so it felt similar with a massive plaza. Lalo said tens of thousands can fit in the new church and even more stand in the plaza when the various popes have visited. At one end of the plaza is a structure with three types of clocks - Roman, Aztec, and Sun:
Here are some doors to the newer basilica:
Inside the basilica where they hold mass hourly from 6 am to 6 pm as Lalo explained:
I purchased and lit a few candles outside. Apparently one side is for the Virgin Mary and the other, Juan Diego:
Here’s the old basilica which is sinking - you can actually feel and see the sloping:
On this relief, you can see the cloak opening and the flowers falling on the bottom left:
A few photos of the inside:
We then returned to our hotel, but our other travel mates were not there as they had accidentally booked at a different JW Marriott about 8 miles away. Although it doesn’t seem far, it’s about 30 minutes by car and we had a good laugh. Traveling leads to such unexpected surprises and adventures!
We rendezvous-ed at Pujol, probably the most famous high-end restaurant in Mexico City. They have a sister restaurant called Cosme in New York as well and we had reserved back in September due to its popularity. Its tasting menu pays tribute to Mexican culinary cuisine and the founding chef trained at the Culinary Institute of America. Some photos of our experience below:
We all walked back to our hotel which takes about 10 minutes and felt good after the meal. We parted ways, but everyone hopefully slept well at their respective JW Marriott’s!
Here’s the flat top of the pyramid which functioned like a chapel - they wanted to stay close to the gods when they made their sacrifices:
Inside the pyramid, they found over 200 sacrificial burials. Lalo explained for about every 12 men, there was one woman and the men were mostly warriors. Children were sacrificed as well as they were seen as pure. Along the steps, you could see these figures and I tried to impersonate them:
Here are some pictures from the top:
Going down, we were to the side as Lalo said, we can’t turn our backs to the gods:
Here are some neighborhoods where people lived:
We also learned they would superimpose buildings and build on top of the layers of the city. Apparently there are 7 layers here, but Lalo says he can only identify 5:
Here was a window viewing, so we could see underneath and see these statues:
Here’s the Pyramid of the Sun:
Here, we are walking down the Avenue of the Dead lined with altars to the Pyramid of the Moon and we stopped to see a mural of a puma or cougar:
Then here’s the pyramid itself:
Here’s a Moon in front of the Pyramid of the Moon:
Lalo explained as a painter took different extracts from various plants to show the origins of colors for the murals, a precursor to our next stops:
We visited Quetzalpapálotl (meaning feathered butterfly) complex which includes an administrative building of the city and several houses with stone reliefs and murals. Here’s the Courtyard of Pillars with the bright red:
Some murals in the Palace of Jaguars:
And an area devoted to fertility with great murals of sacred birds:
The left side of the door is original stone and the right is machine-made which Lalo considered ugly:
We then headed to an artisan market where we learned about agave and tried different kinds of tequila and drinks:
We lunched at La Gruta or Grotto restaurant which I had seen on a Korean travel show and Instagram. It was cool descending and seeing the setup of brightly colored chairs. They serve pre-Hispanic food and delicious margaritas - we had tamarind, mango, and prickly pear. After the meal, they give you a candle to leave:
Our next stop was the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a marian shrine and the 2nd most visited church after St. Peter’s in Vatican City. On its holy days on December 11th to 12th, approximately 7 million people visit to commemorate the 5 apparitions of Mary that Juan Diego, a local peasant and his uncle Juan Bernardino saw in 1531. The Virgin of Guadalupe is considered the Patroness of Mexico and the Continental Americas as well as the reason why many natives converted to Catholicism.
What was housed in the original basilica and then moved and more protected after someone tried to destroy it with dynamite, is a venerated image on a cloak or tilmàtli. According to the story, when Juan Diego opened his cloak in front of the Archbishop, the image of the Virgin appeared and roses which are not native, fell out. Protected by bullet-proof glass, it hangs behind the altar and you stand on a moving walkway to take quick photos:
Last year I had visited Fatima and Lourdes, which are also marian shrines, so it felt similar with a massive plaza. Lalo said tens of thousands can fit in the new church and even more stand in the plaza when the various popes have visited. At one end of the plaza is a structure with three types of clocks - Roman, Aztec, and Sun:
Here are some doors to the newer basilica:
Inside the basilica where they hold mass hourly from 6 am to 6 pm as Lalo explained:
I purchased and lit a few candles outside. Apparently one side is for the Virgin Mary and the other, Juan Diego:
Here’s the old basilica which is sinking - you can actually feel and see the sloping:
On this relief, you can see the cloak opening and the flowers falling on the bottom left:
A few photos of the inside:
We then returned to our hotel, but our other travel mates were not there as they had accidentally booked at a different JW Marriott about 8 miles away. Although it doesn’t seem far, it’s about 30 minutes by car and we had a good laugh. Traveling leads to such unexpected surprises and adventures!
We rendezvous-ed at Pujol, probably the most famous high-end restaurant in Mexico City. They have a sister restaurant called Cosme in New York as well and we had reserved back in September due to its popularity. Its tasting menu pays tribute to Mexican culinary cuisine and the founding chef trained at the Culinary Institute of America. Some photos of our experience below:
We all walked back to our hotel which takes about 10 minutes and felt good after the meal. We parted ways, but everyone hopefully slept well at their respective JW Marriott’s!
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