las piramides

i have seen the wonder that took place two thousand years ago. i climbed the pyramids of teotihuacan yesterday, the largest city of ancient mexico. it sits just 50km northeast of today's biggest mexican city. i got to travel with my educational partner in crime: ms. keller. when we arrived at the site all we could say was "wow." not many words passed between us. for me, perspective was hitting hard. how many people came before us? the silence was soon gladly interrupted by children trying out their new souvenirs: kazoos shaped in the form of ancient animals. only it wasn't the low buzz that a normal kazoo makes. instead, these musical instruments actually sounded like small tigers, succeeding to alarm us throughout our visit.

as i climbed each step, i only wished that i had a time warp machine so i could see/experience everything that took place in this city at its height (except for the human sacrifices, of course). at the summit, i watched and listened to los viejos, los ninos and everyone else give their exasperated shout of celebration after trekking up 248 steep steps, bent over and breathing heavily to catch their breath: "hijole!" and "si me pude!" and "llegamos!!" triumph echoing into the fluffy clouds.

as a 6th grade ancient history teacher, i am adding to my arsenal. even if we don't study ancient latin american civilizations, i have witnessed these symmetrical, colossal and astonishing ancient constructions that have endured so many years. i can't wait to brag to my students about it.

piramide del sol: the third largest pyramid in the world. cobbled together around 100 a.d., from three million tons of stone, without the use of metal tools, pack animals, or the wheel. impressive.


the city of teotihuacan behind me. i'm at the top of piramide del sol and the piramide de la luna is in the background.
the 1st of hopefully 11 people i will see coming to d.f. from the bay area: samantha!
concentrating hard on climbing. i'm trying not to look up so as not to get dizzy.
how small i really am. and this was just one of the small structures that lined la calzada de los muertos, the main avenue of teotihuacan.