I hardly ever get up at 4 am to go sightseeing, but in this case, it was warranted. We left our AirBnB apartment in the Historic Centro of Mexico City and got into Uber to take us to the meeting point in another part of town where the bus was waiting for us to take us about an hour outside of the city. The plan was simple, to watch the sunrise while floating silently in a hot air balloon above the famous Teotihuacan pyramids in the Valley of Mexico.
When we arrived, everything was pretty much set up for us so we just hopped into the bucket and hoped for a beautiful sunrise with minimal wind. It’s worth noting that hot air balloon rides are weather-dependent and may be cancelled if conditions are not suitable. We were lucky and everything went as planned. The weather was perfect. It was a unique and memorable experience. The pyramids, built by the ancient Teotihuacanos civilization, are some of the most extensive and impressive pre-Columbian ruins in the Americas. From a hot air balloon, we saw the pyramids and the surrounding area from a bird’s-eye view, providing a different perspective on the ancient city.
From high above the views were spectacular, we floated silently over the area with just occasional firing to keep the balloon at a set altitude and to avoid others close by. Sunrise did not disappoint and we had beautiful weather for the rest of the day.
The landing was smooth and without any issues, we actually landed directly onto the trailer. The crew was quick in packing up the balloon. After the hot air balloon experience, we went for breakfast which was provided by the company that organized the day trip. And later we were taken by a mini bus to see the pyramids up close on foot. But that’s for another time.
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PS. There are a lot more photographs from Teotihuacan Pyramids in Mexico, so if you are interested I put together a little silent photo slideshow below:
Here are 10 lesser-known facts about the Teotihuacan Pyramids in Mexico:
- The name “Teotihuacan” means “the place where the gods were created” in the Nahuatl language, which was spoken by the Aztecs.
- The Teotihuacan Pyramids were constructed between 100 BCE and 250 CE and were one of the largest cities in the world at their peak.
- The pyramids are not actually Mayan, as many people assume, but were built by a culture that predates the Mayans for several centuries.
- The Teotihuacan Pyramids are aligned with the positions of the sun and the moon during the equinoxes, which suggests that they were used for astronomical observations.
- The largest of the pyramids, the Pyramid of the Sun, is one of the largest pyramids in the world, standing at the height of 75 meters (246 feet).
- The Pyramid of the Sun was built over a cave, which was considered a sacred place by the Teotihuacan people.
- The Pyramid of the Moon, the second largest pyramid in Teotihuacan, was built in several stages, with the final construction occurring around 250 CE.
- The complex also contains a number of smaller pyramids, as well as residential complexes, plazas, and other buildings.
- Its inhabitants abandoned Teotihuacan in the 7th or 8th century, and its decline is still a mystery.
- The Teotihuacan Pyramids were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 and continue to be a popular destination for tourists and archaeologists alike
It definitely looks like it was worth getting up super early to watch the sunrise from a hot air balloon. What an incredible experience. Glad to hear that you had good weather. Your pictures look lovely.
Thanks for your comment, indeed it was a really fun experience. And everything went as planned.
What a cool way to see the pyramids!
It was pretty amazing experience 😃.