Within an hour of Mexico City, you can visit the Pyramids of the Sun, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The site was home to at least 25,000 people in pre-Columbian Mexico, and much of it remains unknown. I was intrigued.
Recommendations
Items to bring:
Cash – for entrance, toll road, etc.
Take Uber (+ Toll Road): 90 pesos
Hat and Snacks
Enter Gate 2
Eat at La Gruta
There are a couple of things to note before visiting The Pyramids of the Sun in Teotihuacán. First, it is best to visit in the early morning, at least before 10am when tour buses start arriving and when the weather is generally cooler. The area where the pyramids are located is wide open, with little to no shade. While exploring in the sun, it’s difficult to not sweat when it’s hot outside, and the sun beaming down on your face makes you feel uncomfortable. As I walked from one pyramid to another in the middle of winter, I was already dying from the heat. In the summer, I can only imagine how hot it must be. So make sure you have an umbrella, a hat or some form of protection for your face.
Uber was our main mode of transportation. There was no problem getting one to and from our destination. However, you may need to pay for toll roads. In advance, our Uber driver told us that he did not have a toll road censor, so we paid him cash. Our travel time was reduced since we only had to cross one toll road, which cost 90 pesos. After returning to the city, we were never asked to pay the toll road, so I guess it depends on the driver.
When we arrived at the pyramids, I was surprised by how far apart they were. The fact that we were dropped off at gate 2 was great, since it led directly to the Pyramids of the Sun. This was convenient.
To enter the pyramids, there are three main entrances. Because the sun will be shining down on you, it is best to start with a pyramid you wish to see first. We started with The Pyramids of the Sun as it was the largest, followed by The Pyramids of the Moon, and ended with The Citadel.
Unfortunately, we discovered that none of the pyramids were accessible due to covid during our visit. Although we were disappointed, it was nice to see the pyramids in person. I had never seen any type of pyramid in my life, so this was very exciting for me.
Unexpectedly, climbing was allowed at the Citadel. As the steps up were very narrow, I found zigzagging up to the top made the climb easier.
We probably walked and explored the pyramids for about 2-3 hours altogether.
After we were done we worked up an appetite and walked over to La Gruta restaurant. It was very convenient that the restaurant was only a few steps over from where we were.
La Gruta Restaurant
The Gruta Restaurant is a unique cave dining experience. We enjoyed the food. To start, we ate the La Gruta salad and the Barbacoa as our main dish. This salad had a bit of sweetness to it that made it very tasty. The salad features Quelite greens, caramelized pecans, caramelized tomatoes, and farmer’s cheese tossed in a sour pear and agave syrup vinaigrette. Delicious!
The restaurant is nicely decorated, and the whole experience of dining in a cave was quite interesting. Make reservations as the place is quite popular and bring a small sweater since it does get cold after a while.
A Stint Abroad 