Mi vida en Cuernavaca: Mexico City and Teotihuacan

We returned once again to Mexico City for a meeting that Reed had with all the other Fulbrighters in Mexico from the United States. All of these teachers, from all parts of the United States, have become fast friends and this weekend was one filled with discussion, stories and much laughter! They are a fun bunch of people!

We were fortunate to be able to stay at a beautiful bed and breakfast, eat at some wonderful restaurants, visit the Benjamin Franklin Library at the US Embassy and take a day trip to Teotihuacan.

While at Teotihuacan, our tour guide spoke in Spanish and since I didn't understand enough to give you a sufficient recap, here is what Wikipedia says about it: "Teotihuacan is an enormous archaeological site in the Basin of Mexico, containing some of the largest pyramidal structures built in the pre-Columbian Americas. Apart from the pyramidal structures, the archaeological site of Teotihuacan is also known for its large residential complexes, the so-called "street of the dead", and its colorful well-preserved murals. Teotihuacan was, at its apogee in the first half of the 1st millennium CE, the largest city in the pre-Columbian Americas. During its zenith it may have had between 100,000- 200,000 inhabitants placing it among the largest cities of the world in this period."

But wait, there's more! It is really fascinating to me....

"Teotihuacan began declining sharply around 650 AD, and was almost completely abandoned around 750 AD. No one knows why. The city of Teotihuacán is meticulously laid out on a grid which is offset 15º.5 from the cardinal points. Its main avenue, the "Street of the Dead," runs from 15º.5 east of north to 15º.5 west of south, while its most impressive structure, the Pyramid of the Sun, is directly oriented to a point 15º.5 north of west -- the position at which the sun sets on August 13 (the day the world began, according to the ancient Mesoamericans). The siting of the Pyramid of the Moon at the far end of the avenue was likewise done with such care that a sight-line directly over the top of the Pyramid of the Sun marks the meridian, thus allowing the priests of the city to fix the times of noon and midnight with complete accuracy."