Teotihuacan, "Birthplace of the Gods"

Believed to have been created around the 2nd or 3rd century BCE, Teotihuacan is about a 30-45 minute drive northeast of Mexico City. By the time the Aztec (or Mexica) are believed to have found the ancient city in the 14th century, it was completely abandoned. Teotihuacan is Nahuatl (language of the Aztec) for "Birthplace of the Gods" or "Place of the Gods". There are several theories as to why. One is that the Aztec found some of the mammoth bones that have been discovered here and thought they were the bones of gods. There is much still to be excavated and learned about the city's history, which at its height is believed to have been home to nearly 150,000 people or more, rivaling any of the world's largest cities across the oceans at the time. There is also much evidence of cross cultural contact with the Maya here. This is the largest archeological site I have ever been to. It takes hours to explore, even days. Though they are often considered misnamed, the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon are impressive. This is my 3rd time here, and I did find something this time that was funny. Throughout the 6 hour visit, you constantly heard the sound of a jaguar, something that my friend pointed out took over 2,000 years to come up with. It is a small whistle like "toy" that the vendors blow and sell at every step of the tour, not to mention the children that have bought one and also spend the day making the sound. I have to say, it does sound exactly like a roar when the vendors, who are pros, do it right. I found my friend's point funny, still. These toys were not here 3 years ago. It was an amazing feeling to be here in this place of the gods where such a powerful yet mysteriously unknown civilization once ruled the land as the largest city in the Americas, and 6th largest in the world. What an honor it was to be walking along the Avenue of the Dead and see the colors made by the cochineal insect and plants 2000 years ago still on the stones and artwork. Truly awesome in the real sense of the word. ...Go Holland this Sunday against Spain in the final, too! Notice the hat :).