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PHOTOS of our day can be seen by clicking on the title of today’s entry or by pasting the following site into you’re your browser:
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Since we were headed to the moon (Pyramid of the Moon in Teotihuacán) this afternoon, we first enjoyed a hearty breakfast at El Cardenal, in the Historical Center. I started with grapefruit juice, Kelsey had orange and Kelly had celery/pineapple that she thought tasted like a Waldorf salad, in a good way. Kelly and I had their infamous hot chocolate and Kelsey had some coffee. After pouring the hot beverages, the waiter served sweet bread that was soft, hot and fresh from the oven. I enjoyed sunny-side up eggs and tortilla chips with amazing refried beans. Kelly was adventurous ordering an omelet with “flor de calabaza” (pumpkin flower). Kelsey had a traditional Mexican breakfast dish, Chilaquiles that is tortilla chips in a chile gravy with cheese on top and this one had chicken. The service was fantastic as always - Andi’s roommate David is a manager there and the restaurant is his family’s; his grandma’s face is on the menu and chocolates.
With our bellies bloated, we wobbled back to the metro. Along the way we checked out the Christmas decorations on the buildings in the main plaza (it’s hard to tell exactly what their made of, maybe sequins). The expedition through the metro took awhile, transferring from the blue line to the yellow line to the olive green line where we disembarked at the North Central Bus Station. From there we bought tickets, 25 pesos each, to Teotihuacán and slept for the next hour.
I awoke instantly and jumped to my feet when Kelsey smacked my shoulder and exclaimed, “We’re here!” The rest of the passengers were still seated, so I kept asking, to no one in particular, “¿Las pirámides?” We exited the bus onto a dirt road in the middle of nowhere just as a mass of sheep was herded by. Then the bus driver told us to get into a cab, I’m not even sure if it was marked, and there was already a young French couple in the back seat, but it took only a couple of minutes to reach the pyramids. Once we passed through the main gate and walked across the parking lot, we were lured to the tiny stores that stretch to the visitors’ center, where the ruins then lie on the other side. The stores are full of jewelry, books, t-shirts and trinkets - each of us found something to buy. Kelly came across a cool ring, as did I, along with a set of earrings and a bracelet; I bought the same set for Faye for Hanukkah. Kelsey bought a cool silver bracelet that looks like little skulls – it’s much more beautiful than I can describe.
As we passed through the visitors’ center, we stepped centuries back in time - the structures were built between 100 B.C. and A.D. 250, housed more than 200,000 people and made up the biggest and most advanced city in the Western Hemisphere. I think it’s eerie that no one knows exactly who built the city of Teotihuacán or who lived there during those hundreds of years. The area was deserted and set afire around A.D. 750. No one moved back into the neighborhood until A.D. 1200 when the Aztecs used Teotihuacán as a pilgrimage center; they believed that the sun, moon and universe were created here. The Aztecs gave the place its name, Teotihuacán, “place were gods are born.”
This is the most visited archaeological site in Mexico and is among the world’s most researched and excavated archaeological sites. It is a national icon and major center of tourism, but government backing has been wavering and commercial exploitation of Teotihuacán has been ongoing. The ruins are a World Heritage Site and are on the list of the world’s 100 most endangered monuments.
Our journey began on the Calzada de los Muertos (Avenue of the Dead) that stretches from the visitors’ center to the Pyramid of the Moon – about two miles long, and it’s actually about half the length of when the city was in its prime. The Aztecs gave the walkway its name, evidently thinking that the structures lining the walkway held the graves of giants who had died and become gods. Along the way we passed the Pyramid of the Sun, one of the biggest, most impressive pyramids in the world. It now measures 740 feet on each side and almost 230 feet in height.
At the end of the Avenue of the Dead lays the Pyramid of the Moon, which was one of the main ritual parts of the city. This pyramid was built later than the other important monuments in the city, it’s 151 feet high and not as steep a climb as the Pyramid of the Sun. When you’re trying to descend the Pyramid of the Moon, it’s hard to imagine one even steeper.
After our major hiking, we returned to Coyoacán starving and headed straight for dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Mesón Santa Catarina; I took mom and dad there too. We shared fantastic sopes and I had the Sopa Azteca (tortilla soup), with a bunch of limes. I was skeptical when Kelsey ordered a shrimp dish, but it was amazing! Kelly enjoyed the carne asada and I had steak tacos. After dinner, we walked to the main plaza and took advantage of the restrooms in Sanborns. While there, I picked out some chocolates to have Kelly and Kelsey bring back to the teachers at WJHS – I hope they made it to the teachers’ lounge as Kelly and Kelsey were eyeing the chocolate covered marzipan. Then, I bought some chocolate covered marshmallows there and Kelly and Kelsey had freshly made churros from a cart on the sidewalk.
We ended the night at El Jarocho's, a café that's been around for over 50 years! They have the world's best hot chocolate, it has a perfect touch of cinnamon. It was so good, but put us over the edge so that we all felt sick by the time we got home.
