After checking out many of the crowded, narrow streets, almost all of which were filled with vendors, I headed over to the cathedral and the National Palace. Wow. Both buildings were quite a sight. The Metropolitan Cathedral, the largest and oldest cathedral in the Americas, was just immense. It’s hard to imagine how a building dating back to 1573 could have been designed so perfectly. Recent history is putting the design of many of the older buildings to the test however. Neglect and damage resulting from the magnitude 8.1 earthquake that hit in 1985 resulted in damage to many of the buildings. According to some people, some of the older buildings are even in danger of collapse. The government has been dumping a lot of money into restoring the area so hopefully the changes will help.

A quick plate of tacos and I was off to my next destination–Teotihuacan, home of the 3rd largest pyramid in the world, the Pyramid of the Sun. I just found out tonight that the 2nd largest in the world, the Great Pyramid of Cholula, is close to my route so I’ll have to stop and visit that one too.

The 30 mile ride to get here was nuts. Mex-85 is an absolutely chaotic road. The problem are the buses, taxis and vans that compete for passengers standing at the side of the road. There are 4 travel lanes and no breakdown lane so the side of the road turns into a circus. In some spots there’ll be a dozen passenger vehicles jockeying for position. Riding in and out of this mess is a good test of ones riding ability. At one point I did get to ride on a toll road and fortunately the operator that literally came running toward me as I approached the toll booth just wanted to show me where to walk my bike past it.

The town closest to the ruins, Teotihuacan will be my home for 2 nights. I’ll take a taxi over in the morning and check it out.

GPX Track