TOUR TRIP Mexico City so far has not disappointed me, with its flair and culture that I have witnessed for the third day. This day we decided to take a tour to see the Teotihuacan Pyramids and the Guadalupe Shrine. The day started out early with a van coming to the hotel to pick us up. Then we met with a bigger van with other people at a spot close by. Off we go for about a 10 hour day. The first stop was an Aztec Ruin in the heart of town. We next went toward the Guadalupe Shrine, and we walked by a priest that was standing outside blessing people. Our group went over to that space and we all got blessed with holy water. The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Spanish: Basilica de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe) is a Roman Catholic Church, basilica and National shrine of Mexico in the north of Mexico City. The shrine was built near the hill of Tepeyac where Our Lady of Guadalupe is believed to have appeared to Saint Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin. This site is also known as La Villa de Guadalupe or, in a more popular sense, simply La Villa, as it has several churches and related buildings. The new Basilica houses the original tilma (or cloak) of Juan Diego, which holds the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. One of the most important pilgrimage sites of Catholicism, the basilica is visited by several million people every year, especially around 12 December, Our Lady of Guadalupe's Feast day. Since we went with a tour, Dan and I were unable to see many of the awesome sites that we would have wanted to see. Off to the Pyramids, the Sun and the Moon. It was a pleasant ride through areas of Mexico City that we would have not seen if we did not take the tour. When we got to the Pyramids we were briefed on the history and then was told that we would be picked up in two hours. It was impossible to see everything in that short amount of time, but we made the most of it. This was one of the main attractions that Dan came to Mexico City to see. He even got a credit card with the picture of the Pyramid of the Sun. Teotihuacan also written Teotihuacán (Spanish About this sound teotiwa'kan (help·info)), was an ancient Mesoamerican city located in a sub valley of the Valley of Mexico, located in the State of Mexico 30 miles (48 km) northeast of modern-day Mexico City, known today as the site of many of the most architecturally significant Mesoamerican pyramids built in the pre-Columbian Americas. Apart from the pyramids, Teotihuacan is also anthropologically significant for its complex, multi-family residential compounds; the Avenue of the Dead; and the small portion of its vibrant murals that have been exceptionally well-preserved. Additionally, Teotihuacan exported fine obsidian tools that garnered high prestige and widespread utilization throughout Mesoamerica. The city is thought to have been established around 100 BC, with major monuments continuously under construction until about AD 250. The city may have lasted until sometime between the 7th and 8th centuries AD, but its major monuments were sacked and systematically burned around 550 AD. At its zenith, perhaps in the first half of the 1st millennium AD, Teotihuacan was the largest city in the pre-Columbian Americas, with a population estimated at 125,000 or more, making it at minimum the sixth largest city in the world during its epoch. Teotihuacan began as a new religious center in the Mexican Highland around the first century AD. This city came to be the largest and most populated center in the New World. Teotihuacan was even home to multi-floor apartment compounds built to accommodate this large population. The term Teotihuacan (or Teotihuacano) is also used for the whole civilization and cultural complex associated with the site. Although it is a subject of debate whether Teotihuacan was the center of a state empire, its influence throughout Mesoamerica is well documented; evidence of Teotihuacano presence can be seen at numerous sites in Veracruz and the Maya region. The later Aztecs saw these magnificent ruins and claimed a common ancestry with the teotihuacanos, modifying and adopting aspects of their culture. The ethnicity of the inhabitants of Teotihuacan is also a subject of debate. Possible candidates are the Nahua, Otomi, or Totonac ethnic groups. Scholars have also suggested that Teotihuacan was a multiethnic state. The city and the archaeological site are located in what is now the San Juan Teotihuacán municipality in the State of México, approximately 40 kilometers (25 mi) northeast of Mexico City. The site covers a total surface area of 83 square kilometers (32 sq. mi) and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. It is the most visited archaeological site in Mexico. We were picked up around 3:00 o’clock and off to lunch and then back to the hotel. The weather was fabulous until we got back and then came the rain. Enjoy the video. Video 4 of 6 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbEshqJO8UIqqXn74FJg52g

• published: 02 Nov 2015
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