Mexico City Day 5

 Pyramid day (Teotihuacan)

Sun Pyramid selfie

Mexico city museums and sights are closed in Monday. So we choose to do a tour for the pyramids. There are a lot of history for the pyramids that I can't keep straight in my head. Wikipedia link is attached.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teotihuacan

As the pyramids can get crowded and there's traffic getting there, it's recommended to do it as early as possible. 

Entance

We got picked up at 615am and the tour company is very good at with coordination and communication. 

Small tour group

The pyramids are impressive. Very well maintained and the guide Gerardo is very knowledgeable (archeology professor/researcher) so got a lot of information from him. 

The History of it (and some of it might not be accurate)

The Teotihuacans had a disaster of volcanic eruption and had to relocate north

Pic showing building falling, volcanos erupting, ppl fleeing

They Found the mountain behind the pyramid of Moon with portable water and stayed there 

Moon Pyramid on the left, Sun Pyramid on the right

They worship god Quetzalcoatl with the understanding of the cycle of moon (13 months), cycle of sun and hence they have the pyramid of the moon and pyramid of the sun. 

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quetzalc%C5%8D%C4%81tl

The main temple is initially built to worship Quetzalcoatl and they cover the area under the main plateau with obsidian (which is provided by the people going back to the initial town to retrieve the lava hitting lakes). They use the obsidian to observe the stars and sun to predict seasons. 

View from the main pyramid to the altar which should be covered in Obelisk

Also, they attract quetzals birds (migrating birds) by throwing seeds on the ground and building the pyramids in a way that when you clap at it, it mimic the sound of the birds. They also built the pyramid in such a way that the birds will see the pyramids and think that there's food and water underneath. 

Clapping towards the stones between the 2 lines bounce in a way that mimics the birds

The pyramids are in power and collected taxes from the people in the city in order for them to get water for agriculture and drinking. This bridge divided the peasants vs the ones in power. 

Bridge that divides the power and peasants

And they open the 5 reservoirs (each one for each summer month) to provide water for irrigation of crops to the outer city once taxes are paid. 

Waterway and far right, there's a water hole

The area that we walked on is called the "The avenue of the dead" and during the times, it's a waterway. 

Looking down the avenue of the dead

The top layer stores the portable water and they added cactus sap and limestone to the reservoir floor to prevent water from sinking through. The white in the picture below is the only place that shows the water-proofing layer that's fortified every year. The water also served as a way to observe the stars

Only exposed area showing the waterproofing area

And there are apparently multiple layers in the waterway as well. It brings water for drinking, water for irrigation and sewage water that's all separated. But it's not explained how they are segregated. 

Also, they have a 52 year cycle where they sacrifice 8 kids in the moon pyramid that was educated with all the scientific knowledge and tore down and restored part of the top area of some of the structures in the avenue of the dead. 

Documentation of a puma with claws open, between lines of blue (water), lines of red and light blue, with circles (seeds) 

Below surface layer showing a temple

Hence most of the archeological sites are actually underneath ground that they are still exploring. They will build a big stone structure and collect the energy in the obelisk in the middle. It's supposed to represent the moon energy for the crops. And they will push it down the moon pyramid as a way to fertilize the water with minerals from the rock for crop irrigation. 

Stature for moon energy collection

It's slightly vague but we think they also build the same thing for the Sun Pyramid every 13 months. The sun pyramid is the 3rd largest in the world. They have 22/7 ratio which is the PI number. And fits Da Vinci ratio for man. Hence Bill fitting the pyramid 😁

Bill fitting the pyramid

Sum pyramid profile fitting profile of the mountain behind

However, as the city grew, it got to a population that's not sustainable. It caused people not to want to pay the taxes as they are not able to survive. And the civilization quickly collapsed and go into warSubsequently they built another pyramid Puma and Serpents to cover the pyramid of Quetzalcoatl.

Main war pyramid

Original pyramid of Quetzalcoatl

Another interesting thing is they took kids young from the family to train to be warriors. After they grow up and understand empathy on survival difficulty, they have to kill a puma before being accepted as a warrior. That's the theory at least of those animals sound producing things that we keep hearing in the whole trip. 

Also they train kids in the chemistry and science. And sacrifice 8 of them every 52 years (2 in every corner of the moon pyramid) so that the knowledge is restarted again. 

Layers of red being excavated

The direction of the pyramid just slightly off the north pole

The tour ended at a pulque place where they showed how versatile agave is, from paper to threads to using them as a needle. 

We roam around Polanco after a nap as it's our last day. Had El Turix again, followed by Manila pato which is a Peking duck style taco. Also found El Moro in Polanco and it's way better than our attempt in Centro branch.

Manila Pato (Duck tacos)