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Ready to have an adventure? You can also imagine walking up the old stone steps, visiting underground tunnels and discovering the lost cities. Mexico boasts of great pyramids that are ancient. Such buildings were constructed by the great cultures such as the Maya and Teotihuacanos many years ago.
This guide will demonstrate to you the most beautiful ones. Prepare to visit the greatest Mexican pyramids and listen to the tales that they carry!
What is so Special about Mexico pyramids?
The Mexican pyramids are amazing not merely heaps of rock. They were constructed as holy grounds. Some were temples for gods. The rest were huge astronomical dials to tell the time of day. Others were even graves of great kings.
Smart and hardworking people were these structures demonstrate how ancient people were intelligent. The construction of these gigantic buildings did not involve the use of modern machines and tools. You are moving in the footsteps of history when coming there.
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The most Beautiful Pyramids of Mexico
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We shall now see some closer examination on two of the most renowned and attractive pyramid sites in Mexico.
The Mega City Teotihuacan
The ancient city of Teotihuacan is a short distance outside Mexico City. This used to be the biggest city in the Americas. It is called the place where humans are turned into gods. These two major pyramids are just magnificent.
The Pyramid of the Sun: A Mountain of a Building
One of the biggest buildings that were constructed in the ancient Americas is the Pyramid of the Sun. At the time of completion at around 200 A.D., it had a height of approximately 63 meters (215 feet). That is high as a 20 story high building!
- A Sacred Cave: This is a man-made cave found deep under the pyramid. The ancient people had regarded caves as places of holiness such as the womb where the first humans originated. It is the reason why they have made the pyramid on this very point they may think of this special cave!
- An Ancient Calendar: The pyramid was constructed so that it would have been orientated with the sun on particular significant days. It served as a huge timepiece and informed people about the changing of the seasons.
The Pyramid of the Moon: View to Remember
The Pyramid of the Moon is located at the end of the main street, which is known as the Avenue of the Dead. It appears that it was constructed to fit the form of the mountain behind it, and thus forms a part of the holy landscape.
- Royal Burials: This pyramid has been discovered to contain amazing treasures by the archaeologists. They discovered the tomb of one of the men who had presented their offerings of the obsidians and greenstone, the sacrificial animals. Probably this was an extremely significant individual.
- The Best Photo Place: You are able to go up the platform in front of this pyramid and have the best view in the entire city. There is all the way down the Avenue of the Dead to the Pyramid of the Sun. It is an ideal location to take a photo!
The Mayan Miracle of Chichen Itza
Going to the Yucatans Peninsula, you will discover the well-known Mayan city of Chichen Itza. This was an immense and massive city more than a thousand years ago. It is also referred to as at the mouth of the well of the Itza which was named after its inhabitants and the water wells naturally formed which were called cenotes.
El Castillo: The Temple of Kukulcan
The best-known structure here is the "El Castillo" (that is, the castle in Spanish). It is also referred to as Kukulcan Temple which is also known as the serpent of the feathers or the god of the serpent.
- A Snake of Shadows: This pyramid is a huge solar calendar. It contains 365 steps; one per day of the year. The sun strikes the steps in a unique manner during the spring equinox and the fall equinox. It produces an impression of a big crawling snake sliding around the side of the staircase. This was an indication of the descent of the god Kukulcan to earth.
- A City of Many Styles: Chichen Itza consists of buildings of various styles. This demonstrates that the population of the city was highly diverse due to the various areas of Mesoamerica.
The Sacred Cenote: A mystical Well
There were two great cenotes, upon which the city was constructed. The Sacred Cenote was one of them and it was offered to the Maya rain god, Chaac. Human beings discarded precious resources such as gold, jade and pottery to the well. They even sacrificed human beings in some instances, hoping that they would receive rain and good harvest.
The following is a tabular comparison of these two fantastic ancient cities:
| Feature | ????️ Teotihuacan (Central Mexico) | ???? Chichen Itza (Yucatán Peninsula) |
|---|---|---|
| Main Pyramid | Pyramid of the Sun | El Castillo (Temple of Kukulcan) |
| Known For | Huge size, Avenue of the Dead, sacred cave | Astronomical shadow serpent, giant ball court |
| Ancient Culture | Teotihuacanos | Maya |
| Cool Feature | Aligned with the sun and mountains | 365 steps for the solar year |
How Did They Build These Marvels?
These monstrous ancient buildings were a big undertaking. Thousands of workers had to work long before it took them. They lacked metal instruments, wheels and animals to assist them. They moved massive boulders on their own and employed crude levers.
Their secrets are becoming known to us through the aid of new technology. A cool tool that is used by archaeologists today is lidar. It is a laser which is capable of scanning ground through an aircraft. It is able to view beyond trees and plants to detect ancient structures and streets which are buried underground. This can make us learn new facts about these ancient cities without even excavation!
Your Adventure on the Pyramid Waits!
Going to these pyramids is something you never forget doing. The following are some details about visiting:
- Eat Breakfast: It is likely to be hot. Visiting early in the morning when it is not hot is better.
- Bring Water: It is always good to have a water bottle with you to keep yourself hydrated.
- Imagine the Past: Attempt to visualize the image of the city long ago, when it was painted and full of people.
These Mexican pyramids are worth the sightseeing. They are a first-hand relationship with the ingenious and artistic individuals that inhabited Mexico many years before us. They are waiting you to discover them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most frequented pyramid in Mexico?
Chichen Itza is an archaeological site that is also among the top visited archaeological sites in Mexico with more than 2.6 million tourists visiting in 2017. It has a world-famous El Castillo pyramid.
What are the ages of the pyramids in Mexico?
They are very old! The Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan was constructed during 200 AD. They were constructed later and the city developed power between 600 and 1200 AD, the main structures at Chichen Itza.
Are you able to enter the Mexican pyramids?
Most of the time, you are not able to enter the inner rooms of the biggest pyramid to preserve them. Nevertheless, they have exposed outer steps on which you can often climb (where allowed) and visit the vast archaeological sites. In some cases such as the cave beneath the Pyramid of the Sun, the archeologists find the inner passages, which are not usually open to the audience.
Are there any similarities between Mexican pyramids and the Egyptian pyramids?
They are not alike even though both are huge and marvelous. Egyptian pyramids were constructed primarily as pharaoh tombs. The pyramids of Mexico were mainly temples and the tops were flat as they were used to conduct ceremonies. They were usually constructed in layers with the pyramids being constructed over the older ones.