Teotihuacan is located 30 miles to the north of Mexico City. There is a bus which departs every half hour from gate 8 at the Terminal Central del Norte (Central Northern Terminal) on the Avenida de los Cien Metros number 4907. It arrives at entrance number 1 of the archaeological site, and departs from there also.
The site is open every day of the year from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.
Hotels and restaurants are located outside of the site, and the only gas station in the area is at San Juan Teotihuacan.
A Light and Sound Show is offered by the National Institute of Anthropology and History every day except Monday. There is no show during the months of July, August, and September.
Teotihuacan
By the time Cortes and his crew arrived at Teotihuacan, it had already been abandoned for some seven centuries. As you approach this massive site of giant pyramids, you can't help but think of how unusual that must have seemed to those early Spaniards . . . . to find a dynamic and organized complex with absolutely no inhabitants must have been quite overwhelming!
Its name means "City of the Gods," because it was believed to be a cemetery for kings who became gods upon their death. Its main avenue is called "The Avenue of the Dead" for this reason.
Before you get there, you'll have to pass along "The Avenue of the Shops!" Between the parking lot and the archaeological site there is a long line of shops on either side, selling items which reflect the history of the area. Many of the ones here are replicas of the Teotihuacan God of the Sun and God of the Moon, hand carved in black obsidian. Some of them are beautifully inlaid with turquoise and other semi-precious gems.
According to Aztec mythology Teotihuacan is the place where the gods came together to create the sun and the moon.
The brave god Nanauatzin threw himself into a sacrificial fire, becoming the sun. The hesitant god, Tecciztecatl, cast himself into the flames, and became the paler moon, his light only a reflection of the sun's rays.
The site always had tremendous religious significance as a ceremonial site, and Aztecs continued to use it for worshipful pilgrimages.
The Avenue of the Dead is 4 kilometers long, with the main pyramids at either end. It's therefore a good idea to leave lots of time for Teotihuacan in order to see all of it. Part of the excitement of this sort of tour is climbing up to the top of the various pyramids.
Many people from all over the world have deepened their own spiritual convictions while meditating at the apex of these sacred sites.
