Teotihuacan and Mexico City PHOTOS
Auspices LV, January 2024 :: Euphoria
The Dreaming House
The Dreaming House is where my group gathered for classes, meals, and our New Year’s Eve fiesta and also where I stayed. Note the pyramid and crystal gemstone labyrinth in its interior courtyard. Our host, Alberto, is the owner/creator of the Dreaming House, a prolific carver of Teotihuacan obsidian, and the nephew of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. I imagine that he may have been inspired by some of the features of Casa Azul, Frida’s home in Mexico City, which also has a pyramid in its inner courtyard. The Dreaming House is filled with art, altars, masks, gemstones, skulls, lush fruit trees, fountains, vibrant colors, and sun-and-moon iconography.
Pyramids, Day 1: Plaza and Pyramid of Quetzalcoatl
Each day after breakfast, my classmates and I walked from the Dreaming House to the pyramid complex (about 15 minutes away) where we received teachings by Don Jose Ruiz and Don Miguel Ruiz, Jr. and performed rituals to release our old, outdated beliefs and agreements. We began in the Plaza of Quetzalcoatl, which to the Ruiz family represents the “sea of hell,” an inner landscape of many shouting voices that capture our attention and keep us stuck in the stories of our past. (I’m dramatically paraphrasing here. If you’d like to know more about the esoteric journey we undertook, I recommend reading Beyond Fear by Don Miguel Ruiz, Sr. and Mary Carroll Nelson, and The Mastery of Life, by Don Miguel Ruiz, Jr.)
After climbing a viewing platform in front of the Pyramid of Quetzalcoatl, our group settled in for our second lesson. I was relieved to have made it up the steep, rocky steps of the platform without incident. Going down was another matter. Forevermore, I will call this “Quetzalcoatl’s Thighmaster Experience.”
The graffiti adorned a wall at an entrance to the village of Teotihuacan. The hummingbird is an important symbol in Toltec and other Mesoamerican cultures. “Hummingbirds have been admired not only for their beauty and elegance, but also for their exceptionally small size, their speed, their lightness and their ferocity when facing bigger birds (including raptors) to defend their territory and nests. All these characteristics have inspired both pre-Columbian and modern Mexicans to ascribe to the hummingbird, and value in themselves, attributes such as authenticity, braveness, intrepidness, skill, readiness and strength of will.”—AAV
Day 2: The Palace of the Woman, the Avenue of the Dead, and the Pyramid of the Moon
We began our second day in an interior space called the Palace of the Woman, near an entrance to what was once a birthing chamber. The room where we gathered was small, cold, and dark; we were lucky to have it to ourselves for the duration of the Ruiz brothers’ teachings. Before they spoke, they turned off the lights, and shivers ran over my skin. Someone began to cry. The darkness was intense. After the teachings, we performed rituals as we traversed the birthing chamber and left the Palace of the Woman to cross the plazas of Air, Water, Fire, and Earth along the Avenue of the Dead en route to the Pyramid of the Moon.
Day 3, New Year’s Eve: Pyramid of the Sun
On our final day of ceremony, we walked from the Dreaming House to the Pyramid of the Sun, the tallest in Teotihuacan and third tallest pyramid in the world. Several pyramid dogs escorted us along the way, particularly a beautiful golden husky who saw us through the village of Teotihuacan to the entrance gate of the pyramid complex. As we listened to the teachings of Don Miguel Jr. and Don Jose, the sun and hot-air balloons began to rise from behind the Pyramid of the Sun. The sight was utterly gorgeous.
All of us after our ceremony at the Pyramid of the Sun, New Year’s Eve 2023
With my friends Tessa and Chelsea (in the hat, she was also my wonderful roommate)
After the ecstasy and before the fiesta with friends of the spirit. I wish I had good photos of our New Year’s Eve party, which was truly epic! In the mid-afternoon, a mariachi band arrived at the Dreaming House to serenade us. Then a local group of folks dear to the Ruiz family led us in an Aztec ceremony and showered us with generous gifts for our altars. A delicious tacos-and-tequila dinner followed. A rousing party band played, and we danced, danced, danced. I took the stage at one point and sang “Respect,” surprising everyone and getting the stragglers off their butts and onto the dance floor. Soon thereafter, a drum line with horn players showed up in electrified Santa hats and played like mad. They led us to the inner courtyard where Leo Ruiz had set up fireworks near the pyramid and labyrinth. The fireworks were BONKERS—gorgeous, crazy, and wild. At one point, half-lit remnants rained down on our heads, Game of Thrones-style, and we took cover, screaming and laughing. Then there were pinatas, about five of them, and the children sent up whoops of joy as they pounded them open. Then more dancing. The party kept opening up and out, getting wilder and bigger, with very little transition time between each surprising new event. Total euphoria.
New Year’s Day: Hot-air balloon ride over Teotihuacan
Some of my classmates and I left the Dreaming House in the wee hours of New Year’s morning to enjoy a sunrise balloon ride over the pyramids. Our balloon operator got us super close to the summits of the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon—what a thrill!
One of my classmates, Wil, convinced us to go in together on a group photography package for the flight. I’m so we did! Seeing our joy makes my heart so glad.
The crew landed our balloon in this little trailer (!!!) and poured us sparkling wine to sip while they made preparations to take us back to the village.
Mexico City: Frida Kahlo Museum
I had but one full day in Mexico City after my Teo adventures, and my choice for what to do was clear. Luckily, I was able to snag a ticket to Casa Azul, the Frida Kahlo Museum. Below are photos of the entrance and courtyard, pictures from a few of the exhibits, Frida’s oil paints and brushes, and scenes from the kitchen and dining room.
Below are photos of Diego Rivera’s pastels and journals; Frida’s studio easel, paints, brushes, and mirror; and Frida’s day bed, where she painted her reflection in a mirror hung on a wall.
Below are views of the inner courtyard and fountain; looking up at Frida’s studio; the blue walls of Casa Azul; the pyramid in the garden; one of many conch shells embedded in the walls, fountain, and works of art; a secret painting on the ceiling of an outdoor room that I spied while taking pictures of succulents; one of Frida’s anatomical drawings in service of her clothing designs; and a display of Frida’s dresses.
Thank you, thank you, thank you
If you’re still with me, thanks for accompanying me on this photo journey! It’s 1:08 a.m., so I’m off to bed. I’m still dreaming about the pyramids, the hot-air balloons, and the wonderful people of Mexico. Viva la vida, long live life!
With gratitude and love,
Angela