Teotihuacan

page 2

Teotihuacan's
top 3 attractions

Pyramid of the Sun

This is the star tourist attraction of Teotihuacan, the one most tourists come to see.

Height

It's as high as a modern 20-story building, making it the tallest structure in Teotihuacan.

Steps

They are steep (though they didn't seem so when I intrepidly climbed them as a kid).

Age

Some archaeologists estimate that the Pyramid of the Sun is at least 2,000 years old.

Original purpose

No one knows for sure its original purpose or to whom the Pyramid of the Sun was dedicated (the "sun" designation was bestowed by the latter-day Aztecs).

Aztecs

They used the top of the Pyramid of the Sun as an altar for sacrificing captives of war to the solar god. The hapless souls were marched huffing and puffing up the 247 steep steps to have their hearts ceremoniously ripped out by a priest and their heartless bodies unceremoniously tossed down the sheer sides of the Pyramid of the Sun.

Pyramid of the Moon

At the far end of the main thoroughfare sits the Pyramid of the Moon.

Size and fame

It's almost as big as the Pyramid of the Sun and would be world famous if the latter didn't exist.

Climbing

Though shorter, it is harder to climb than the Pyramid of the Sun because its step height is appreciably steeper. And you are no longer allowed to climb all the way to the top.

Appellation

It was named by but not erected by
the Aztecs.

Quetzalcoatl