The Avenue of the Dead

I am seated at the top of one of the smaller platforms on the Avenue of the Dead. This kind of architecture is called tablero-talud because of steps and then flat areas. It may have been the place where the people lived, like their house! In the background is the Pyramid of the Sun which is found in Teotihuacan near Mexico City.

The pyramids of the Sun and Moon, as well as many others, are designed in such a way that on March 21 and September 21, the shadows that fall on them will look like a snake crawling down the steps. These dates are the spring and fall equinox, which means there are equal hours of day and night because of the tilt of the earth towards the sun. It is amazing to think such ancient people had the knowledge to know just how to construct these huge structures and create a snake like shadow slithering down the pyramid steps!