Then and Now: Pyramid of the Sun, Teotihuacan, Mexico

Guess what--the ESPC also has a few postcards from the 1920s or 1930s in Mexico, and you'll probably like what they show

The other day, I was chatting with Sam Urban—better known as the Illegitimate Scholar on X/Twitter—and I very much recommend checking out his Youtube channel. While out conversation ran over three hours, it’s not yet available, but since we talked a lot about the picture postcards, once it’s up, I’ll let you know.

Off the camera, we also chatted more about Sam’s great passion, archaeology, esp. in the Americas, and I showed him a few picture postcards from Mexico. These included the below image of the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan, Mexico.

What, though, is the Pyramid of the Sun? Here’s bit from Wikipedia:

The Pyramid of the Sun is the largest building in Teotihuacan, and one of the largest in Mesoamerica. It is believed to have been constructed about 200 CE. Found along the Avenue of the Dead, in between the Pyramid of the Moon and the Ciudadela, and in the shadow of the mountain Cerro Gordo, the pyramid is part of a large complex in the heart of the city.

And this is what it looks like today (courtesy of Google Maps, and I tried to get about the same perspective as the one in the postcard):

Here’s tad more from Wikipedia (my emphases):

The name Pyramid of the Sun comes from the Aztecs, who visited the city of Teotihuacan centuries after it was abandoned; the name given to the pyramid by the Teotihuacanos is unknown. It was constructed in two phases. The first construction stage, around 200 AD, brought the pyramid to nearly the size it is today. The second round of construction resulted in its completed size of 225 meters (738 feet) across and 75 meters (246 feet) high, making it the third-largest pyramid in the world, though still just over half the height of the Great Pyramid of Giza (146 metres). The second phase also saw the construction of an altar atop of the pyramid which has not survived into modern times.

Of course, I do have more than one postcard, hence here’s another perspective:

This one I cannot reproduce with Google Maps as there’s no suitable point-of-view available; do note, however, that the few pictures from roughly that point of view do have plenty of cactuses there, albeit no local gentleman with a hat sitting there.

More in this particular “awesome monuments of Mexico then and now” category to follow suit—stay tuned!