Teotihuacan: Dawn Pyramid Walk & Tequila Mezcal Tasting

4.97

(144 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

We were already halfway up the Pyramid of the Moon before I really woke up — you know that feeling, legs a bit heavy, sky just starting to turn gold over Teotihuacan. Our guide, Marisol, pointed out the way the valley stretches out below, and I tried to catch my breath (not just from the climb). There was this weird hush — just wind and a few other early risers. She told us about how people used to gather here for ceremonies, and honestly, I could almost picture it. My shoes picked up dust that stuck to everything for the rest of the day.

Walking down the Avenue of the Dead felt like moving through someone else’s memory. We stopped at murals where Marisol explained what each color meant — she even let us touch a bit of old stone (cooler than I expected). Halfway through, we ducked into a cooperative run by local families. The smell inside: earthy clay, sweet agave syrup. They handed us little cups of tequila and mezcal (I liked the smoky one best), plus pulque — which is… different. Li laughed when I tried to say “pulque” in Spanish; probably butchered it.

I didn’t expect to care so much about obsidian carving but watching an artisan chip away at black glassy stone was kind of hypnotic. We all tried on woven hats for a photo — not my best look but who cares? By the time we reached the Pyramid of the Sun, there was this weird energy in the air — maybe just caffeine wearing off or maybe something else. The sun hit those stones hard; you could feel heat rising off them even though it wasn’t noon yet.

I still think about that first sip of mezcal with everyone grinning around a chipped table. It’s not just ruins and facts — it’s people sharing stories over drinks older than most countries. The ride back to Mexico City was quiet except for someone snoring two rows behind me. Guess we’d all walked more than we realized.