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Teotihuacan, Mexico

San Juan Teotihuacan Travel Blog › entry 1 of 2 › view all entries

Five star site. Do not miss this one. Take several days to fully enjoy. Try to find the mica lined crypt. Check at the entrance to get the location and the schedule for the vault door to be open. Stay at the Hotel Archaeologico on the loop road around the site. The decor is colonial, all adobe, rooms open onto large patios and a pool. Reconstructed sunken patio ruin on hotel property. One of the best yet affordable eateries in Mexico. This was a Club Med facility until last December of 2007.

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Teotihuacan, Mexico

December 17, 2007

Five star site. Do not miss this one. Take several days to fully enjoy. Try to find the mica lined crypt. Check at the entrance to get the location and the schedule for the vault door to be open. Stay at the Hotel Archaeologico on the loop road around the site. The decor is colonial, all adobe, rooms open onto large patios and a pool. Reconstucted sunken patio ruin on hotel property. One of the best yet affordable eateries in Mexico. This was a Club Med facility until last December.

Teotihuacan is located in the San Juan Teotihuacán municipality in the State of Mexico, approximately 27 miles northeast of Mexico City. The site covers an area of 83square kilometers. Teotihua can was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

Teotihuacan is one of the largest archaeological sites in the Valley of Mexico.

The site contains second and fourth largest by volume pyramid structure known in the world, Piramide del Sol and Piramide de la Luna. The largest is the pyramide structure is at Cholula. This is also known for its large residential complexes, the Calle de los Muertos, the Ciudadela complex, the Temple of Quetzalcoatl, the Edificiios Superpuestos, the Grupo Viking the satilite residential areas of (Teopancalco, Atetelco, Tetitla, Zacaula, Teoantitla) and its colorful well-preserved murals.

Permanent sites of cluster of houses within compound walls were present in and around the current site of Teotihuacan as early as 900 BC. In the early stages of developement, Teotihuacan was in direct competition with Cuicuilco in the far southern portion of the Basin of Mexico, over the local raw materials and control over the long distance trade route.

Looking northeast at Piramide del Sol from the Edificios Superpuestos area on the west side of the Calle de los Muertos.

The eruption of the Xitle volcano around 40 AD caused Cuicuico to be abandoned. From this point Teotihuacan grew rapidly in size, power and population until the great fire around 650 AD. It is estimated that only 50,000 individuals remained in teotihuacan after the great fire. The community continued to conduct trade, manufactor good and continued with their arts. Some of the best mural examples are from this time period. However, the population began to move away. no new major construction occured. The competing areas of Xochicalco, El Tajin and Cholula began to grow in population. By 900 Ad there is little to no evidence of trade goods entering or leaving Teotihuacan. It is likely that the site was never total abandoned until after the arrival of the Spanish.