Five Ancient Sites to Visit in and around Mexico City
Submitted by Andy B on Thursday, 22 November 2018 Page Views: 5866
Pre-ContactCountry: Mexico
El Tepozteco, Morelos
Take a short trip from the city to the top of the Tepozteco Mountain to see some of the most amazingly sited ruins in Mexico. This site is quite small compared to some of the giants left behind elsewhere. However, it has a special kind of charm and a spectacular view.
El Tepozteco is a complex of temple ruins. In the past, it was dedicated to the god of pulque and was a popular pilgrimage destination.
Templo Mayor, Mexico City
The formidable Templo Mayor is located in the heart of Mexico City. It’s a must-visit place for any traveller who wants to learn more about history as well as admire great architecture. This site is one of the most popular in the country and should definitely be included if you take a free tour in Mexico City. Seeing it with a guide who can tell you about the history of the ruin as well as the magnificent cathedral nearby will be most informative.
Templo Mayor is also home to one of the most interesting museums you can visit during your stay in Mexico. Here you can learn about the gods and history of the Aztecs.. The other must-see museum to see while in Mexico City is the Museo Nacional de Antropología, which has the world's largest and most significant collection of artefacts from pre-Columbian Mexico
Tula, Hidalgo
Another short trip from Mexico City will take you to one of the most iconic historical sites on the continent, (pictured below right). The Atlantes of Tula, huge basalt sculptures, dominate the site and look as formidable as they did centuries ago. They represent figures of Toltec warriors and definitely look intimidating.Teotihuacan
Tula used to be a major centre for the ancient civilization and you can see multiple reminders of it all over the place. This was a place of worship for the god Quetzalcoatl, one of the main Aztec deities.
Teotihuacan (first photo at top left) really needs no introduction as one of the most popular historical destinations in Mexico. It’s where you can find ruins of an ancient city that cannot fail but impress with their grandeur. It used to be the largest city in pre-Colombian America and a lot of it is astoundingly well-preserved.Mammoths of stone structures which look formidable even before you start thinking about how they could have been built with ancient construction techniques. In fact, there are still arguments about how exactly these huge pyramids were constructed. Seeing them up close might help you form some theories of your own. There are many sites that make up the complex of Teotihuacan so follow the link and browse all the sites.
Xochicalco, Morelos
A day trip from the capital will take you to a mysterious place with a beautiful name. Xochicalco, which means ‘house of flowers’. It’s a place where multiple epochs mix, and it’s fascinating to uncover its history layer upon layer.Be sure to visit this place if you want to see where the civilization gravitated after the gradual fall of Teotihuacan.
I hope this brief tour has whetted your appetite for a trip to Mexico, you can check out many other sites in the area from the Nearby Sites links from any of the pages linked above, and see our full Mexico site listings here.
With many thanks to LivingRocks, Christopher W Adach, Vasenka Photography and Esthephani for their kind assistance with this article.
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