I may have mentioned that we aren't really crazy about cities. Especially huge metropolises like Mexico City. Unfortunately, heading south from Guanajato, it seemed to be smack dab in the way of anywhere we wanted to go. Luckily, the ruins of Teotihuacán are thirty miles outside the city with the conveniently located Trailer Park Teotihuacan in the small town of San Juan Teotihuacán just minutes away. This would break up the drive south, and...Oh, we would also get to see the site of the largest city in the pre-Columbian Americas...and the third largest pyramid in the world.
From our visit to the temples at Ankor Wat in Cambodia we remember how truly impressive they were, but also that the effect was somewhat diminished by all the crowds, hawkers and un-asked-for tour guides. We decided to try and get to Teotihuacán as soon as the gate opened to try to avoid this. And it worked. We climbed the massive Pyramid of the Sun with the few other sightseers willing to wake before dawn, and had a leisurely stroll along the Avenue of the Dead.
The stunning views were enhanced by dozens of hot air balloons that filled the sky, doing their morning tours.
By the time we decided to move on the crowd was growing, the vendors were just getting set up, and the temperature was rising. We found a shady spot in the empty parking lot of the mural museum to have a picnic.
Inside the museum were some amazingly well preserved paintings and carvings. Oh.....and air conditioning!
Driving out of the complex, we gave ourselves a pat on the back. We could see thousands of people trudging up the pyramids and a line of cars a quarter mile long just to get into the parking lot. I think we'll be visiting the many ruins to come early from now on.