Teotihuacan Travel Guide
From Wikitravel
Teotihuacan, which stands in náhuatl for the place where men became gods, is a very important archeological site 40 km northeast from Mexico City, in Mexico. With the exception of the Egyptian pyramids, the ruins at "Teo" are unrivaled in terms of a combination of both scale and intrigue. According to legend this was where the Gods gathered to plan the creation of man.
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Understand
Teotihuacan was the largest Pre-Columbian city in the Americas, reaching a total population of 150,000 at its height. The name is also used to refer to the civilization this city dominated, which at its greatest extent included most of Mesoamerica.
Construction of Teotihuacán commenced around 300 BC, with the Pyramid of the Sun built by 150 BC. The city reached its zenith approx. 150–450 AD.
It is said that the decendents of this city abandonded this city and relocated in Tenotitlan. It was chosen because it was thought to be a more sacred location. Remember the Méxican story of the Eagle with a Serpent clutched in its talons. (see the Mexican Flag)
Get in
48km (30 miles) northeast of Mexico City
By car (or taxi) - it will take about 45 minutes from the city center if you use the toll motorway, much longer if you use the old free road. There is a small fee for parking at the site. A taxi may work out prohibitively expensive, though sometimes "tours" with a car and driver/guide can be arranged for a reasonable fee if you want the convenience.
By bus - Autobuses Teotihuacán leave the North bus station every half an hour or so. Check that your bus goes to the site entrance and not just to the town of San Juan Teotihuacán nearby. It will take around an hour, and the buses run until about 6pm - check the last departure before you leave.
By tour bus - most travel agencies offer half or full day tours to the site, often combined with the Plaza de la Tres Culturas and the Basilica of Guadalupe, both of which are outside the city center. It’s a convenient way to combine the three, but note our comments above about getting to the site early. The price is around 200 pesos ($25).
Get around
In the complex you pay a fee to get in. Unfortunatly, there is only one way to navigate the complex. You will have to walk everywhere to get to what you want. Pack light for this excursion. No backpacks etc.
See
This site has a lot of small pyramids, but essentially there are only three main attractions.
The Temple of the Moon - A medium sized pyramid off from the center of the complex. Intresting but I don't recommend climbing it first since it will make you not want to climb the next one.
The Temple of the Sun - The largest Pyramid in the structure. It has an excellent view of the surrounding mountains. Wear sunscreen. They don't call it the Temple of the Sun for nothing.
The Temple of Quetzacotl - One of the most sacred Temples in the complex. This is the temple with all the stone dragon heads on it. This is the locations where they made sacrifice to the god Quetzacotl.
There are also some smaller structures surrounding the complex. The main thing you will notice is people constantly approaching you trying to sell you trinkets. Be prepaired. If you have never been to México before this will be unusual. Sometimes they can be very aggressive. If you are not interested, don't even make eye contact. They will constantly harrass you.
Do
Buy
There is a lot of vendors selling silver product. Remember in México, silver is thought to be cheap and only for tourists. You will find a lot of silver products in this location. Also you will find obsidian rocks for sale. Some of these types of things will be just a round stone, or something more elaborate like a statue. Also there will be salesmen everywhere with Aztec flutes.
Eat
There are a lot of restaurants near the exit of the complex. You will find that these restaurants are expensive compaired to other places in or around México City. Avoid the tourist trap if possible.
Drink
There is a lot of small vendors in and outside the complex that sell water, juice, etc. You will have no trouble getting hydrated for your hike up the pyramids.
Sleep
In this location I do not believe there is anywhere to stay. Even if I am wrong, you would not want to get caught in a tourist center like this.
Get out
The only way worth getting out of this tourist trap area is by bus back to México City. It comes by the entrance every 30 minutes or so. In the meantime you can try to lose all the people outside of the complex advertising their restaurant to you. Again they can be very aggressive salesmen. Don't make eye contact!
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