According to Aztec tradition, the sun, the moon, and the rest of the universe trace their origins to Teotihuacán. They call it “the place where the gods were created.” People have flocked to it for centuries, seeking wisdom, enlightenment, and the manifestation of dreams. The site holds three major pyramids and various other ruins.

My tour guide, Alejandro, advertised himself as a Teotihuacán native. That was intriguing, so I booked a visit to tour the pyramids with him. His family home is behind the Pyramid of the Moon, where they still practice ancient rituals. Little did I know then that I would soon take part in one.

Entering the Mesoamerican city

Twelve of us in his tour group entered the pre-Hispanic place. More temples have been discovered here than in any other Mesoamerican city. It was cool and quiet in the early morning hours. Even the many vendors selling wares from their blankets laid on the ground weren’t yet active. There, we met Alejandro.

He wore jeans with a red flannel shirt and a wide-brimmed, beige cotton hat and hiking boots. He was in his mid-40s and had dark, reddish skin. At first sight, I didn’t expect anything extraordinary from him.

Temple of the Plumed Serpent

At one point, this city was one of the largest ancient cities in Mesoamerica, with at least 25,000 people. Now, it is primarily tourists, archaeologists, and vendors. I’d follow Alejandro’s brisk pace all day through the energetic land that held these great pyramids. First, we went right to the ᴅᴇᴀᴅliest place.

The Temple of Quetzalcoatl, also known as the Temple of the Plumed Serpent, is the first of three pyramids at Teotihuacán we visited. The entire city is laid out according to symbolic principles of the universe. We climbed many stepped, dark lava stone platforms to get from one pyramid to the other.

The Temple of the Plumed Serpent’s exterior features elaborate carvings of serpent heads, which distinguish it from the other temples. Scholars say serpents or snakes were prominent symbols here because they were fearsome, poisonous, and shed their skin. Snakes symbolize rebirth and renewal and are always moving forward.

A History of Sacred Beliefs at Teotihuacan

At the Temple of the Plumed Serpent, Alejandro explained how the ancient people mapped the sky. He said they flooded the spaces between the platforms to reflect the night sky like a mirror. They’d then use stones to mark the star positions. I imagined what it would be like to lie down there at night and see the stars.

Archaeologists believe the 22-mile city was built between the 1st and 7th centuries as a place of worship. The worship practices included a lot of human sacrifice to the gods and the universe. According to the Aztec calendar, there were five days of sacrifices every twenty days.

Sacrifice and Ritual

They gave human lives because those were the most valuable things they had. Below the temple, 260 sacrificed mummified bodies still rest with their arms tied behind their backs – coincidentally, that’s the same number of days in the Aztec calendar.

The Pyramid of the Sun

The Pyramid of the Sun is the biggest not just of the Teotihuacán Pyramids but in the entire northern hemisphere. The Aztecs built it roughly 738 feet square at the bottom and almost 250 feet tall, so it’s hard to miss. Its mᴀssive size rivals that of the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza.

This pyramid is pure geometry. The long, flat, straight lines reached for the sky and seemed to have been created by the most stringent mathematician. Its size and shape contrasted obviously with the Temple of the Plumed Serpent, which included sculpture and painted décor.

The entire area is a UNESCO World Heritage site protected by the National Insтιтute of Anthropology and History. Climbing the Teotihuacán Pyramids isn’t allowed as it was in the past. I stood at the base looking up, I wish I could have.

The window where the snake enters the world

Alejandro said he spent a lot of time exploring the site as a child. He told us there is a window at the top of the Pyramid of the Sun. The sun shines in at midday, illuminating the interior. Sunbeams create an optical illusion of a great snake that winds down from top to bottom. Aztec mythology describes serpents as the vehicles by which celestial bodies, such as the sun and stars, cross the heavens. Naturally, the snake enters the world here.

The Pyramid of the Moon

We climbed up and down more platforms and landed on the “Avenue of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ.” The avenue leads directly to the front of the Pyramid of the Moon. This pyramid is like the Pyramid of the Sun, though a bit smaller and less exact. There is a softness to it that contrasts with the sharpness of the other.

We walked down the immense Avenue of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, with the stepped platforms lining either side of us. There were also ruins of houses, businesses, and animal pens. Even today, commerce is still alive and well in Teotihuacán. Some 700 local families are permitted to sell goods in the city. They set their wares up on blankets along the avenue and pander to tourists. I bought a golden obsidian bracelet. Obsidian is a glᴀsslike, black stone formed from rapidly cooling lava from volcanoes. Since volcanoes surround the city, there is a wealth of obsidian. Aztecs create many tools, monuments, and jewelry from it.

The connection of everything

It’s H๏τ. We stood in the shadow of the Pyramid of the Moon. Alejandro told us about the people who lived there. He spoke about the importance of the sun and moon, stars, the earth, wind, water, fire, and the four directions of the Earth. He told us how Aztecs built everything in Teotihuacán according to the elements, the universe, and the influence of numbers.

The Power of the Universe

The people lived by the significance of the moon days for growing and cultivating crops and herbs for sacred rituals. Everything in Teotihuacán centered around planetary and celestial alignment. When I was younger, I believed in astrology, the placement of the planets and the energy they projected. As a child, I knew that energy was something you could feel and manipulate. As an adult, I became less open.

Now, I’m thinking again. The sun and moon feed our planet and control the tides. How could they mean nothing to human emotion and momentum? It’s not possible. That energy is in us and around us and created all life on Earth.

The Energy of Teotihuacán

Alejandro said the Aztecs chose the site for Teotihuacán because of the land’s tremendous energy. They believed there are openings in the Earth, like volcanoes, where energy gathers.

Many people believe that some places have more energy accumulated in them than other places. That the accumulated energy of fault lines and celestial placement attracts certain people. Some are more tuned to this universal energy than others.

Into the Energy Vortex

Some people call these energetic places vortexes. One common belief is that they exist at ley lines making up the Earth’s electromagnetic field. These lines show the energy paths and on them, the ancients have placed pyramids and stone structures. Sometimes there are volcanoes, mountains and canyons.

People have debated whether the land itself has unique energy. Others question if the energy is created from worship, gathering, and rituals over time.

Even though the volcanoes aren’t active anymore, there is still great energy at Teotihuacán. You can still feel a pulse in the shadows of the pyramids here. Everyone on our tour said they felt “something.” Each of us spent time silently trying to figure out what it was.