The holy city of Teotihuacan ('the place where the gods were created') is situated some 50 km north-east of Mexico City. Built between the 1st and 7th centuries A.D., it is characterized by the vast size of its monuments – in particular, the Temple of Quetzalcoatl and the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon, laid out on geometric and symbolic principles. As one of the most powerful cultural centres in Mesoamerica, Teotihuacan extended its cultural and artistic influence throughout the region, and even beyond. Teotihuacan is the most visited of Mexico’s archaeological sites. It is impressive for its scale, both in the size of the Pyramid of the Sun (the third largest pyramid in the world) and the majesty of the Calle de los Muertos (Street of the Dead) - originally 4km long and flanked by temples, palaces and platforms. Look for amazingly well preserved murals in the Palace of the Jaguars or the Palace of the Quetzal-butterfly and bold sculptures in the Temple of Quetzalcoatl.

All pictures in this Mexico photo gallery are copyrighted by Victor Ovies unless stated otherwise. This includes (but is not limited to) the following photo galleries: Mexico DF, Chiapas, Yucatan, Guadalajara, Guanajuato, Puebla, Taxco and the pre-Columbian sites of Chichen Itza, Dzibichaltun, Edzna, El Tajin, Monte Alban and Mitla (Oaxaca), Palenque (Chiapas) and La Venta (Tabasco), Ruta Puuc, Tulum and Uxmal in addition to the Maya Route highlights  You may download and store them for personal use only. Unauthorized reproduction or commercial use of this material is forbidden and will be prosecuted.