The World Traveling: Teotihuacán Pyramids in the Valley of Mexico

Teotihuacán is a sacred site that is about 30 miles northeast from Mexico City in Mexico. This is a very popular site to visit from the city, as these ruins are among Mexico’s most remarkable, as well as some of the most important in the world. Teotihuacán was built about 300 AD and is characterized by enormous monuments that have been carefully laid out based on symbolic and geometric principles.

The Temple of Quetzalcoatl is one of its most monumental structures, located in the center of the area and boasts its fine decoration and lavish offerings. The front of the temple has large, finely carved serpent heads that jut out from feathered collars that are carved into its stone walls. This temple has a pyramid built on top of it called the Feathered Serpent Pyramid, where over 200 ceremonially buried warriors’ skeletons have been found by archaeologists.

The Pyramid of the Sun is positioned on the Avenue of the Dead’s east side, is the 3rd biggest pyramid in the world, and the largest pyramid that has been restored in the Western Hemisphere. This structure hasn’t been completely understood yet, but is built over a sacred cave that has the shape of a 4 leaf clover. The first part of the Pyramid was built about 100 BC, being completed 400 years later.

The Pyramid of the Moon faces the northern plaza and has no discovered features in its interior, such as a cave. It is smaller than its neighboring pyramid, but appears to be the same since it is built on higher ground. This pyramid seems to have been built in a pattern to reflect the sacred Cerro Gordo Mountain to the north.