MAY 2003 – View from the Pyramid of the Moon (Piramide de la Luna) at Teotihuacan, Mexico, with the Pyramid of the Sun (Piramide del Sol) on the left, and the Avenue of the Dead (Calzada de los Muertos) in the center of the image. Photo © Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com
The story behind the image
On my trip to Mexico City my colleague and I decided to spend the last day at Teotihuacan, the ancient city located 40 kilometers northeast of Mexico City. The site features many of the most architecturally significant Mesoamerican pyramids built in the pre-Columbian Americas, namely the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon. At its zenith, Teotihuacan was the largest city in the Americas, with a population estimated at 125,000. (Wikipedia has all the details.)
The photo shows the view from the Pyramid of the Moon across the entire site. The Pyramid of the Sun (on the left) seems to be higher than the Pyramid of the Moon, and that’s why everybody goes there. In fact, both pyramids are approximately identical in height! Take your time when climbing the pyramids, because you are at 2,200 meters altitude at base level, and the pyramids add another 70 meters! It was really exhausting to get up to the top of the pyramide.
Tip for photographers: Go there early morning or late afternoon. Light conditions will be excellent then. I did this shot at around 11 am, so the colors look a bit flat and washed out. But I still like it. A lot.
The high resolution image
| Capture Date & Time | 10-MAY-2003 |
| Location | Teotihuacan, Mexico |
| Camera | Canon AE-1 Program |
| Digital Image Source | EPSON Perfection 4870 Photo |
| Digital Image Source Format | TIFF, 48 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Format | JPEG, 24 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Dimensions | 6505 x 3572 Pixels |
| Copyright | © by Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com |
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