* Above, police and New Age pilgrims, Pyramid of the Sun, 21 March 2009.
The event is one of those social-spiritual rituals that Mexicans are so good at creating. As with others, there was a distinct element of fear and danger at Teotihuacan on Saturday. Hundreds of thousands if not a couple million visitors, most dressed in white to absorb the energia of the pyramids, converged on the ghost city in the northeast basin. Menacing federal police stood guarding the site just about everywhere.
We arrived just as they were closing access to the Pyramid of the Sun, which was probably a blessing; it looked like climbing the thing was an inch by inch waiting process that could last hours -- in the hot sun. We watched the contrived New Age poses and the aggressive souvenir vending with a measure of sadness.
Nothing is sacred. And soon, Teotihuacan will be even less so.