Our last few days in Mexico (a bit of a history lesson)

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Our three weeks in Mexico were coming to a close. There is still so much here to see and do, maybe we should have spent the whole six weeks here. Cuba was somewhere we really wanted to visit, and we had a great time there, but somehow Mexico was just better. Maybe its the food, maybe its the (relative) lack of hassles, maybe its because our money is going much further. We dont regret going to Cuba, looking back at some of the photos reminds us of how much fun we had and how much we got to see, its certainly a different place to anywhere we have been for a while, and certainly a safer place, but...

Besides, this blog is meant to be about our last few days in Mexico, not a meander through our thoughts of the trip so far. We spent them in and around Mexico City, still looking at old ruins!

After spending the morning in Cholula, we caught a bus back to Puebla and transferred almost immediately to a bus heading for TAPO, Mexico Citys east bus station. We passed pretty close to Popocatepetl (5465m) and Iztaccihuatl (5230m) but couldnt see the tops of either in the clouds.

The metro wasnt as busy as we were expecting. There was plenty of room for us and our packs for the ride from TAPO to University City to meet our next CS host Ulises. We didnt have a seat or anything, but at least we werent crushed. When Ulises offered to meet us at the metro station, we thought he'd come in on the bus and show us that last little (15km) bit to his house - the directions included things like get off at a bridge (he did tell us the name), cross on the pedestrian crossing along a bit, look for a row of houses then for the one with the most plants... but, even better, he'd come in his car. Much more comfortable and way easier than taking the bags on the bus. however, it left us a little stuck the following day when we tried getting the bus all the way back to his house! The driver let us out at the wrong bridge, we wanted the second one with the same name! Luckily they were only 150m or so apart.

Back to Ulises. He lives with his parents and sister, and a very bouncy friendly dog. They were all really welcoming, totally into the whole couch surfing thing. Ulises and his sister had surfed in Europe last northern summer, and they've had a few people stay in Mexico. His mum treated us like extra members of the family, insisted on us sharing their dinner, and generally making us feel right at home. It was her birthday while we were there so we just had to go out and get her a present. Its not like we were allowed to bring back any food to share or cook ourselves! I've got to say though that a big slice of rich birthday cake for breakfast isnt always the best way to start a day!!

We went to three sets of ruins, Teotihuacan, Tlatelolco and the Templo Mayor (part of Tenochtitlan) right in the city centre.

Teotihuacan, or "The Place Where Men Become Gods", is about an hour from Mexico City. The site was first settled in the late pre-classic period, around 200BC, but no-one seems sure exactly who the Teotihuacanos were. The site was carefully planned and split into quadrangles. The Calle de los Muertos, the Street of the Dead, runs north - south through the city. About 2 of the 4km are open for tourists to walk now. The east - west road has been lost or forgotten. Way back in the day, the city of Teotihuacan covered about 20 sq km and would have controlled the Valley of Mexico. There is evidence of trade with people as far south as Tikal and Copan (Guatemala). Why the city collapsed no-one again seems to know. Did it grow too large and become unable to feed its population? Was there some plague or natural disaster? The overcrowding option seems to most popular, supported by the fact that buildings were built on top of other buildings, enlarging them. There is evidence of a big fire around 800AD, and little to show the city was ever fully populated again. When the Aztecs founded Tenochtitlan in the 14th C, Teotihuacan, about 50km NE away was deserted. Impressed by the size they adopted it for a ceremonial centre, believing the huge buildings were built by gods and that those buried there were superhuman. It was the Aztecs who named the area Teotihuacan, Place Where Men Become Gods. When the Spanish invaded in the 16th C and destroyed Tenochtitlan, they were probably unaware of the existence of Teotihuacan and its impressive pyramids as the site remained untouched.

So, our trip through this amazing place. We came through one of the entrances on to the southern end of the Calle de los Muertos (Aztecs believed that ancient kings had been buried alongside this street). Getting in pretty early meant we had a great view along the street to the Pyramid of the Moon uncluttered with hoards of fellow tourists. If only the whole day had been like that....!!! First stop was into the Ciudadela, the Citadel. Named for its military complex like layout, the citadel actually contained the royal residences and those of the priests and government officials. The huge plaza contains, amongst other buildings, the Temple of Quetzalcoatl, a serpent god. Apparently this temple was consecrated with the sacrifice of over 200 war victims. All we could see now though our the carvings of serpents, shells and a reptilian image (Tlaloc the rain god??)

According to the guidebook, the red paint still visible on some of these ruins came from crushing the tiny, colourful bugs that burrow into nopales (cactus leaves - good to eat!) We didnt find any bugs in any of the leaves we got. Luckily.

From the citadel, we wandered up the street of the dead, looking round some of the buildings along the sides. The street isnt a nice flat easy walk, you have to go up and over walls all the time, like lots of little plazas walled off from each other. After numerous side trips we walked round the Pyramid of the Sun to the site museum. Smallish but very interesting, full of artifacts and displays explaining the different stages of construction. There was also a huge model of the site as it probably was way back when it was populated, this covered a huge area (the model and the site!) and there is a see through floor over the model giving you a better idea of the size and layout.

We climbed the Pyramid of the Sun, along with what seemed like hundreds of other people. This pyramid is the biggest structure on the site, second in size only to the pyramid in Cholula at 222m by 225m. Construction lasted from about 200BC to 150AD. The inside is full of rubble and brick, and was probably built overtop of at least one other pyramid. Initially it was thought that the pyramid was dedicated to the god of the sun, but more recently evidence (3m wide moat, child burials at the corners, a cave deep within the pyramid) suggests that is was dedicated to Tlaloc the rain god. This doesnt stop people worshipping the sun from the top. There were several people up there when we were there, aging hippies, not so aging hippies, and those just after the attention, sitting with their arms raised and facing the sun. Each to their own, but dont get upset when you fling your arms out only to find someone else standing there. (Not us, but we did see it happen). At 65m tall, you get some awesome views around the site and much further afield. You can really appreciate the size and layout of Teotihuacan from up there. And its a great place to stop for lunch too!!

Back along the street of the dead, we came across the mural of a puma, well preserved and surrounded by camera toting tourists. Hey - we joined them!!At the northern end of the Calle de los Muertos is the Pyramid of the Moon. This was built later than the pyramid of the sun, probably around 500AD and was probably used for public ceremonies. The plaza in front is large and open. This pyramid is smaller, 150m by 130m and about 42m high, and we could only go part way up. Still great views though.

Next to the Pyramid of the Moon are the Palace of Quetzalpapalotl and the Patio of the Jaguars. The former would have been a sumptuous royal palace with its columned and frescoed inner patio. The latter a series of ruins and patios with frescoes of jaguars and an underground Temple of the Feathered Seashells, buried when the palace was built.

Dont these places just have the most awesome names!

On the way home form Teotihuacan, we stopped at the ruins of Tlatelolco, an Aztec city meaning "Mound of Sand" or "In the Little hill of Land". Tlatelolco and Tenochtitlan were built together as 'twin cities" in the early 1300's. By 1467 the Tlatelolco king Moquihuix had built his city into a busy trading centre coveted by the Tenochtitlan ruler Axayacatl. Tension mounted over territorial boundaries (nothing changes eh?!) and in 1473 both rulers geared up for attack. The tenochca war machine was too powerful for Moquihuix and Tlatelolco was absorbed into the Tenochtitlan empire.

The ruins of Tlatelolco are surrounded by high rises and busy roads (and are probably also buried under those same high rises and busy roads!), and a cathedral built from stones taken from the ruins under the orders of Cortes. Like much of central Mexico City, the cathedral and the ruins are sinking at rates of up to 2" a year, and not everything sinks in the same direction. This is all due to the city having been built on a former lake. Ruins here include the Templo Mayor and its ceremonial square. For the Aztecs, this was the centre of the universe, and the temple was second in importance to the Teocalli in the zocalo. During the Spanish blockade of Tenochtitlan, the Aztecs heaved freshly sacrificed bodies of Cortes's soldiers down the temple steps, within sight of the conquistadores camped nearby.

Mexico City was first settled by the Aztecs in the 13th century when the wandering tribes of the Mexica people fulfilled an ancient divine command - to stop where they saw an eagle devouring a serpent on top a cactus. This happened on an island in the swampy lake of Texcoco, and the result was the city of Tenochtitlan. The eagle, serpent and cactus is now seen all over Mexico on their flag and coat of arms. More background can be found here, worth reading as its pretty fascinating.

When Cortes defeated the Aztecs, one of the first things he did was destroy their main centre of worship, the Teocalli, using the bricks to build his cathedral on what became the zocalo. The temple and surrounding buildings were paved over and almost forgotten until 1978 when workers laying pipes for the metro unearthed them. From 1978 - 1982 the site was excavated, revealing layers of pyramids and artifacts. Some colonial buildings were torn down to allow further excavation, but there is probably plenty more left of Tenochtitlan lying under the surrounding streets and buildings. There are now walkways over the excavations, and an extensive museum full of treasures found on the site.

A highlight was the Great Temple (Templo Mayor), meant to be on the site where the eagle ate the serpent. There are remains of several pyramids built one atop the next, each "generation" expanding and improving the temple / pyramid of those who went before them. There was a "house" excavated with some neat murals and carvings inside, and a platform with the walls covered by carved skulls.

We also spent a long morning in the Anthropology Museum, a slightly mind numbing experience taking us through Mexicos archaeological and enthnographical history. A fascinating experience though, with some amazing pieces found in sites all over Mexico.

Apart from the above history lesson, we did visit a few other places while in Mexico City. We stopped in another couple of museums, wandered the streets looking at all the wonky and subsiding buildings, ate some good food, drove past the big stadiums, missed every view of the volcanoes due to the clouds, and generally had a good time. We managed to get a bus to and from Ulises house, negotiate the metro (actually really easy and we avoided the crowded times), watch and enjoy Friends in Spanish with Ulises dad, have our first hot shower for ages...

We've probably added far too many pics here, but now that we can we have. And for those that have been following the whole tip, we have added photos to the early Cuba blogs. Please go back and have a look.

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Photos

Looking down from the Temple of the Moon
The plaza, Calle de los Muertos and the Temple of the Sun

The Street of the Dead and surrounding ruins
Taken from the top of the Temple of the Sun

Calle de los Muertos, Street of the Dead
At the end is the Temple of the Moon and to the right the Temple of the Sun. Check out that lack of other people, sometimes its worth getting up early!

Palacio de Quetzalpapalotl
Palace of the Quetzal Butterfly