Teotihuacan

When Michael was 12 and Marc was 8, I took them to see the pyramids outside of Mexico City in September 1986.  It seemed like a good idea since they had a good time at the 600-room pueblo at Chaco Canyon in New Mexico and the cliff dwellings in Arizona.  Michael even spent time on an archeological dig one summer.  We flew on Mexicana Airlines which was just fine until we got to Mexico City and the pilot had to make a 90 degree banked turn to line up with the runway.    

It had been only a year since an 8.1 earthquake had hit Mexico City on 9/19/1985 and was felt as far north as Houston and Los Angeles.  We could see many of the 2,000 plus damaged buildings on the way from the airport into the city.  The epicenter had been off the Mexican Pacific Coast and the quake had lasted over 3 minutes.  The Mexico City population was 18 million in 1986 and death toll estimates ranged from 10,000 per the Mexican Government to a claim of 45,000 from seismologists.  The populace scoffs at the government's information due to unexplainable actions by the Mexican President such as ordering a news blackout for 39 hours.  Perhaps Miquel de Madrid thought it unfair to address the public until power was restored to the 8 million people who were without electricity.  The USA however, was quick to respond sending ex-actors, John Gavin our ambassador to Mexico, and Nancy Reagan to have their picture taken in front of a collapsed building.  Every year on 9/19, Mexico City now conducts evacuation drills in all public buildings.

We went a few places before we set off for the pyramids.  From the Camino Real Hotel we could walk to Chapultepec Park, museums, and there were a never ending supply of VW buses that would take you anywhere you wanted for a few quarters.  We were walking through an open street market one day and came upon people crawling toward the entrance to the Metropolitan Cathedral.  Since my kids didn't seem to take much notice of the prone believers, I figured they could handle a look inside the church.  It felt a little conspicuous to tour the inside while business was being conducted but I was pretty certain the inquisition had been put on hold.  I told my kids, "If anybody comes at us, tell'em we're looking for el bano."

One thing I really liked about Mexico City was that unlike the border towns, there were no hordes of dunk American college kids.  Mexico City seemed to be filled with people from all over the world.  There weren't any more visitors from the USA than any other country.  We were eating very late one night in a restaurant and I spoke to a man sitting close by.  I asked him, "Is it my imagination or does the makeup of the people in the city change in the evening?  No offense, but the people in the day time look Indian and Latin, where as in the evenings, such as the inside of this restaurant, most everybody looks European."

He told me that the working class leaves the city and goes home to their families for dinner.  This leaves the city to those that prefer, and can afford, to eat, play and party until the wee hours.

We managed to also fit in Folklorico, Xochimilco, Hipodromo and many good restaurants leading up to pyramid day.  We boarded a bus one morning that took us 30 miles north to the ancient city of Teotihuacan.  Everyone exited the bus and was herded into a visitor center where a guide went over the basics.  The Pyramid of the Sun was the 3^rd largest in the world and was among many that lined the Avenue of the Dead as part of a sprawling complex that made up the heart of the city.  A 330 foot-long tunnel was discovered under the Pyramid of the Sun.  Archeologists had sent a robot through the tunnel and found several large solid clay spheres coated with pyrite that were a bright yellow.  No theories had been produced to suggest what purpose they served.  I immediately thought of a pawn shop but kept it to myself. The city of Teotihuacan covered a total of 11 square miles and provided living quarters for up to 250,000 at its peak in 450 AD.  Many of the inhabitants had been potters, jewelers and other craftsmen. 

The guide then made a special effort to get our attention as he pointed to both our handouts and a series of signs on the wall that spelled out:

DO NOT REMOVE ANYTHING FROM THE SITE

VIOLATORS WILL BE PROSECUTED

It listed examples of artifacts such as pottery shards, coins, carvings, stones, etc.  For violators, the consequences were also listed making the inquisition seem tame by comparison.

The visitor center had one large window on the west side through which we had all watched a fellow use a long hollow yucca shaft to suck liquid from the bottom of a cactus and transfer it into a clear glass pitcher.  Just as the guide had finished the severe warning about collecting artifacts, the fellow came in the back door with the pitcher.  The guide told us that the pitcher contained pulque which was considered a sacred drink by the residents of Teotihuacan.  The fellow poured the pitcher out into 20 or so tiny Dixie cups for us to sample as we left the visitor center and made our way over to the Avenue of the Dead.  It was a hot day and I thought the pulque really hit the spot.  We were the last to leave the center as I savored my tiny bit of pulque.  I noticed that none of the other cups had been touched.  I told my kids to follow the guide and I'd be right behind them.  I knew I was hot and thirsty and I knew that the pulque was very refreshing.  I do not remember anyone mentioning the alcohol content.

I can not account for a large portion of that afternoon. I do recall that the size of the area covered by the Avenue of the Dead and the pyramids was way beyond what I had imagined.  I also remember the pyramid steps being so small that I had to place my feet sideways.  The entire complex was enormous beyond words – so what was with the itty bitty steps?  They couldn't have had feet that small.  There is no question that this was a design flaw.  When the completed pyramid was unveiled on opening day in 125 AD, and the ruling tribunal saw those steps, I'll bet that night's menu featured carne architecco. 

The other clear memory I have is our returning to our hotel room at the end of the day.  I sat down on a couch and watched 8-year old Marc proceed to empty his pockets of dozens of pottery shards, molded stones, and a few broken pieces from carved stone figures.  Evidently I wasn't the only one of us to visit the pyramid that afternoon in an altered state.  Marc claims to this day that he saw quite a few ghostly figures in holograph form lounging around the complex.  He said they were all very small with ancient Toltec features and there was no mistaking that this was their place.

Michael and Marc told me they had seen enough historical and cultural stuff to last them a lifetime and they now wanted to go to the beach.  I went to the office of a travel agent the next morning and got us on a plane to Puerto Vallarta.  This would normally be an expensive change to one's itinerary but it was late September.  The travel agent went to great lengths to emphasize that heat and humidity at this time of year in Puerto Vallarta was so unpleasant no tourist in their right mind would consider going there.  There's a beach isn't there?  How bad can it be?

When our plane landed in Puerto Vallarta, it taxied to a stop in front of the terminal and a flight attendant opened the exit door.  There was a series of audible gasps from passengers that moved from the front to the back of the plane like a Radio City Rockettes dance routine.  They were all reacting to the damp ball of rank air that had come aboard and rolled through to the tail section.  We had come from Mexico City at 7,300 feet above sea level where it was 70/70 temperature/humidity.  We had arrived in Puerto Vallarta at mid day where it was 95/90.  It seemed as though we had made our way onto a different planet.  Even the ocean offered only a slight reprieve with a water temperature of 82F.

Our hotel was on the beach and had plenty of vacancies.  Michael and Marc had the tennis court to themselves and didn't seem phased by the tropical sauna.  I on the other hand started seeing spots until a hotel waiter convinced me to start drinking plenty of water.  One evening, the 3 of us were walking down the beach and saw lobsters being grilled in a patio area next to a restaurant.  We walked up the ramp to the front door of the restaurant and saw a sign that read:

NO SHOES, NO SHIRT, NO SERVICE

We were all just wearing trunks so we turned and started back down the ramp.  A waiter came out the front door and asked if he could help us.  I pointed to the sign and said we'd be back after we changed clothes.  He made a face at the sign and insisted that we come in and eat.  We sat down at a table and he brought us menus.  I told him, "No menus needed," pointing out the window to where the lobsters were being prepared.

He said, "That's a different restaurant, we have our own kitchen."

I said, "Oh, sorry.  We thought that was your grill.  No big deal, let us see those after all," and reached for the menus.

The waiter held on to the menus, pointed at the patio grill and asked, "Is that what you want?"

I wasn't sure how to respond to this but I said, "Yeah, that was the original plan."

Without hesitating he said, "No problem, I'll take care of it"

He proceeded to go out to the other restaurant, order our food, and soon returned with grilled lobsters.  We had indeed landed on a different planet.