Teotihuacán and Tula

Thursday

We had a small dilemma. On Fridays, because of our license plate and the Hoy No Circula rules, we would not be able to drive at all (not just from 5am-11am like every other weekday). We could either visit Teotihuacán and Tula separately on different days (as originally planned) and not be able to leave until Saturday. Or, we could do them both in one day and also travel out of México City area. I figured it would be cheaper to go ahead and get out of the city.

So on Thursday morning, we went looking for a colectivo to take us to the ruins of Teotihuacán. After walking around and not finding anything that said it was going to “Los Pirámides,” we decided that we would try for a taxi. It was only 30 pesos (US$2.60), so we took them up on the offer and had them drop us off at the Pyramid of the Moon entrance.

It was early, so we enjoyed a leisurely pace with few others around. It was quiet and the weather was quite enjoyable. However, as we slowly progressed towards the very-large Pyramid of the Sun, we began to hear fake jaguar growls and the general clamors of hordes of people. Our quiet, pleasant morning had left us. The one good thing about lots of people is that there is generally someone who is available to take your picture for you.

Pyramid of the Moon in the background.

The outrageously-huge Pyramid of the Sun. Though it is believed that it was reconstructed incorrectly, have 5 layers instead of the original four that they now believe it had.

The Temple of Quetzalcoatl.

To get back, we figured we would catch a taxi or something, but we didn’t see any. So, we continued walking on out to the road to see if we could find anything. Just at the entrance as we were crossing the street to the roundabout’s center garden area, I spotted a colectivo that had “S.J. Teotihuacán” on its dash. I waved him down, and he told us it would be 3 pesos (US$0.26) per person. We thought it was a deal and hopped a ride. By now, it was about noon. So we ate lunch, packed up the van, and headed out.

We had heard Tula was a much smaller site, so when we got there, we were surprised to find a full kilometer walk to the ruins from the visitor center. Of course, it was lined with vendors hawking their wares as well. But the real treasure of Tula, the fifteen-foot stone statues of warrior kings, were still impressive.

I think I would make a good statue as well, just wouldn’t have my butt cheeks showing.

After that, we hit the road again. We had planned on going on to San Miguel de Allende, but determined as we were driving that it would be the same amount of driving tomorrow and less today if we stopped in Santiago de Querétaro instead. We made it with plenty of daylight left, as the days keep getting longer as we go north.