Morelia to Puebla via Teotihaucan

Wed 31st Aug to Thur 1st September

Walking the short distance into the city centre for breakfast on the square was a civilised way to start the day.

As we left Morelia we rode into our first political march/demonstration. Election campaigning has started here and everyone seems to get involved.

Once we managed to extricate ourselves from the chaos we headed for Teotihuacan. It was our intention to stick to main roads to cover the 200 miles as quickly as possible but Terry’s sat nav had other ideas. Seven hours later and having negotiated just about every tope (speed hump/sleeping policeman) between Morelia and Teotihuacan (at least 200 of them). We eventually arrived at our hotel shaken not stirred.

Normally after a day like today we would have made the pool our first stop. It looked very enticing but up here in the central highlands (over 7000ft) it is quite cool and the water temperature positively chilly so it was a beer to help relieve the vibrating bodies instead.

The following morning we walked to the temple complex (not in time for sunrise as Sarah, Bob’s daughter had suggested). We managed about 10 o'clock and blamed the cloudy weather rather than our laziness!

Teotihuacan is the largest archaeological site in Mexico and home to the 3rd largest pryamid (base size) in the world. The city is thought to have been established around 100BC. At its height Teotihuacan was the largest city in the pre-Columbian Americas with more than 2000,000 inhabitants making it also one of the largest cities in the World at that time.

Walking towards the Moon Temple

We hired a guide to show us around (middle guy in photo). Jorge Archer, an Archaeologist who works on the site and whose wife also works there. He spoke superb English and his knowledge of the complex was so good we could easily have stayed there all day.

One of the many different carvings that adorn the site

The Sun Temple

Early afternoon we set off for Puebla another colonial city a little over 100 miles further south east. Unfortunately about half an hour before we arrived the heavens opened and we were lashed with torrential rain so by the time we arrived we were drenched. Our hotel room resembled a Chinese laundry with every available space used to hang out three lots of wet kit.

Puebla is another attractive cosmopolitan city with loads of street cafes and restaurants. The historical centre equals the best of our European cities and the difference in wealth between here and much of the rest of Mexico that we've seen is quite remarkable.