Teotihuacán (Travel Diary)
10:22 PM
A plant can’t grow without its roots. The roots anchor the plant to the ground, provide it with support, and feed it the nutrients that it needs in order to flourish. I—and probably you too—am a plant that has been violently ripped off of its original ground, has been placed in a new environment, and has been forced to acclimate to a completely new ecosystem.
I have gradually found the aspects of American culture that I like and have chosen to adopt, but down to the core, to the root, I am Mexican. And proudly so.
This summer I went on somewhat of a heritage trip to Mexico with my family. It was the first time I’d visited some of the most beautiful Mexican cities that are considered to be “Pueblos Magicos” or “Magical Towns.” We stayed mostly in Central Mexico and toured around the vibrant and historically-loaded cities of Querétaro, Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico City, and the ancient Mesoamerican city of Teotihuacán.
The latter was my absolute most favorite stop of the 3-and-a-half-week journey. Teotihuacán is an archeological site that dates back to 200 AD. The massive pyramid structures and ancient monumental temples provide every visitor with an authentic time warp into the pre-Columbian Americas.
Who built Teotihuacán remains a mystery, although in later times it would become conquered by the Toltec and Aztec Empires.
There are three pyramids that define the city’s layout. As I was hiking up the 230 steps to the top of Pyramid of the Sun, I could imagine the Teotihuacano people climbing up these very same tiny steps on their way to perform their religious rituals.
Once atop the pyramid, at about 210 feet above the ground, I had a magnificent view of the ancient city一worthy of only the most powerful emperor in all the land. To the right, I could see the Pyramid of the Moon at the end of what is called the “Avenue of the Dead.” To the left was the temple of Quetzalcoatl named after the Aztec feathered serpent deity, the primordial god of creation.
The massive structures defy all means of production of the time, proving the technological advancements that these people developed went beyond their immediate capabilities. Staring out into the impressive complex, I felt an ounce of pride. Where these people my ancestors? Am I a product of years and years of modernization rooted from these promising soils?
It seemed silly to even try to place myself in the same timeline as the people that lived here over 1,800 years before me, but as I learned more about who they were and how they lived, as I walked through what used to be their living compounds and heard about their internal wars, I really wanted to integrate myself into their story. I was eager to belong to such a rich culture, to be a part of a continuation that was probably too many times interrupted.
Whether I was a part of the lineage of the people who broke their backs building this incredible complex, I would never find out; but I decided it didn’t matter. It is a part of my history now. Standing here atop of the Pyramid of the Sun I am a part of this. I, along with every spectator of this monumental piece of history have incorporated ourselves in the timeline. We have been brought back into the world of these people, that almost two thousand years away, remain as present as ever in our minds and in our hearts.
Although my roots have grown in certain soils, what will sprout from them is ever changing. I decided I would choose my own history. In the process of doing so I’ll adopt the Teotihuacanos, their insight, their dreams of greatness and innovation, their magnificent creations and stories.
They preceded everything that I am, but somehow, they simultaneously exceed everything that I dream to be.
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