Pyramids and palaces

Today was long. My first tour, I went to Tlatelolco, Guadalupe Shrine and Teotihuacan. 

At Tlatelolco we saw some Aztec ruins, and learned about a massacre of students protesting against the government.

The Guadalupe Shrine is one of the biggest religious sites in Mexico, and is dedicated to Guadalupe. I can’t remember anything about her except she appeared on the front of a robe of a Indian man and now there’s a huge shrine to her. And his robe was made of cactus plant.

Before the pyramids we stopped at a Tequila and Mezcal tasting place, and also learned about how the indigenous people of Mexico used obsidian. It was cool to use a piece of obsidian to look at the sun - perfect for eclipses. My favourite tequila was a sweet one of course. We were taught to lick the salt then bite the lime, mixing them together in our mouth, then shot the tequila. I didn’t like the mezcal, and not just because there’s a worm in it. 

Lunch was a buffet - including traditional Mexican foods like frijoles and arroz (rice), as well as salad and spaghetti. 

The Teotihuacan site is huge - we walked through old Aztec palaces and saw original murals and paintings that have been preserved, as well as their drainage system.

The site has two pyramids, which are actually technically basements? Yeah, I can’t explain that either. I walked up both the Pyramid of the Moon - short walk, maybe 100 steps - and the view was amazing. You could see the whole site, over to the Pyramid of the Sun and right down the Avenue of the Dead. Going down felt precarious - I went one step at a time. 

Then down the Avenue of the Dead to be Pyramid of the Sun. Way taller, but luckily the steps are in stages. I took multiple breaks. Then view at the top wasn’t something to write home about like the Pyramid of the Moon, but still really cool. 

After the Pyramids we came straight back to the city. Back by 6.30, headed for bed at 9pm after dinner and a shower. 

I’m tired. Same again tomorrow. 


Mexico City Monday 5th February

Listened to: Spanish radio - I recognised Enrique Iglesias. 

Read: various descriptions of Aztec architecture 

Watched: some of The 100 Foot Journey which they put on in the coach on the way back. It was in Spanish. It didn’t make a lot of sense. 

Ate: a Mexican buffet

Drank: 3 types of tequila and 1 mezcal