Mexico City - Teotihuacan pyramids tour - Feb 2025

Teotihuacan Pyramids - February 6, 2025 

Today, we had a pre-booked excursion to the Teotihuacan pyramids through booking.com. Our hotel was through them, and the site showed excursions' departure points compared to the location of our hotel. The price was the same as other booking sites. It was a half day excursion through tour operator: Paseos Olmedo. There were 5 possible pick up points; we were at the 4th pickup at Fiesta Americana Reforma hotel's Starbucks at 8:05am. This was only a few minutes walk from our hotel. The site entrance, tour guide, bus, and driver were included; the tour was a good deal.  

We considered the hot air balloon ride over the pyramids. This was reasonably priced if you got yourself to the starting point, but pricy if you got the ride and breakfast option. Travis also read that the balloons go where they want, so you may be not be as over the pyramids as desired. I also saw on one tour site that if they had to cancel the tour for weather that you get 65% of your tour cost back. What? -- they cancel but don't refund all your money? The balloon tours also left Mexico City about 4:30 am, eek! So, we did not pick this; though, I'm sure that it would have been awesome. 

The bus arrived at Starbucks a little after the 8:05 am pick up time, and we were the first ones on. At the next stop, we finished filling the bus. The tour group included 5 Russian or other eastern European ladies, 5 Japanese guys (I think that they wanted to pair up; at least, one Japanese guy was very smitten with a red head), a solo lady from the US, but not living in Playa del Carmen who we talked to, and a solo guy. Our tour guide did not talk as much on the bus as I would have hoped. He gave history for a segment on the bus and then suggested that we needed to sleep/not or having to wake us up. We paid for a tour; I did not come to sleep. But, I don't sleep well on transportation like some people, so maybe I was alone in this thought. Our guide was also a little goofy, but he was informative and nice. He gave us a tour on site and also allowed some free time to explore on our own.

We had one stop for water and restroom (5 Pesos and need a 5 Peso coin) at a gas station. The gas station had a guard by the pumps directing traffic that you don't see in the US. We bought more water even though we brought some because I was thinking that we would be back at noon, but it was more like 2pm. So, I was not sure if we packed enough. We did not think there was time for the restroom. There was a long line just to checkout with our bus and another bus from the same company at the stop. 

We got to climb this pyramid though currently climbing the Sun and Moon pyramids is not allowed. We sat on the backside of the first one where our guide shared info.  

From the above left pictures, where you see little rocks in the concrete, this is a rebuilt area, and those with no little rocks are original. View from our seating area. 

Another that were allowed to climb and views from the top. 

Travis created a panorama, which is small on the blog, but still fun.  

Moon pyramid

Apartments

Drainage system in the apartments

Sports field; they had multiple. 

Original on the left and reconstructed on the right. Still retained some red and green paint. 

Travis caught a lizard on both their tongues in his picture. Mexico has to get permission from some archaeology governing board to excavate because excavation removes some original material. I believe that our guide said that something was expected behind this, but if they excavate, this would be lost.  

Then we arrived at the Sun pyramid. It was built to be the same shape as the nearby mountain -- see the second picture. Our guided tour ended here, so we decided to walk around it. The sides had these protrusions. 

After the walk around, we did not have a lot of time before we needed to meet back at the bus, so we headed toward the Moon pyramid. We got a quick view from a hill/viewpoint from the left of it. 

Back in Mexico City, we made a stop again at Tony's Pasties and Empanadas for a late lunch. I got the potato pastie and Travis the Hawaiian -- ham and pineapple. After eating at our hotel and repacking as needed, we headed out to explore Juarez, Condesa, and Roma. We found David -- why did we go all the way to Florence! :) We also found the Witch house, see at the top? Apparently, a witch lived here, and she performed "scary" operations on the rich clients that came to see her.  

This was cool; it went with a store and was on the walkway/park between the street of Avenue Amsterdam, which was the old Hippodrome. 

We then went to Churrería El Moro for churros and coffee for Travis. We did not mean for it to be, but since we had a lot (I ordered too much), it was our dinner. I accidently ordered hot chocolate; I was trying to order the warmed chocolate sauce for the churros. We had hot chocolate, coffee, four churros with chocolate sauce. It was pricy, but good, with waiter service. After churros, we walked the park that was across the street.  

 

Next up...Archaeology Museum, Castle, and Zoo

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