Peapix

  • Bing Gallery
  • Extension
Peapix
Bing Gallery
Extension
  • Canada
    All
    Australia Canada China Germany France India Japan Spain United Kingdom United States Italy Brazil

Bing Gallery

Australia Canada China Germany France India Japan Spain United Kingdom United States Italy Brazil
  1. Bing Gallery
  2. Canada
  3. 2021
  4. March 12
  5. A balloon flies over the Pyramid of the Sun at sunrise in Teotihuacan, Mexico
arrow_back_ios arrow_forward_ios A balloon flies over the Pyramid of the Sun at sunrise in Teotihuacan, Mexico

March 12, 2021

A balloon flies over the Pyramid of the Sun at sunrise in Teotihuacan, Mexico

© Marco Ugarte/AP Phot

Ringing in the New Year at Teotihuacan

If the Aztecs had hot air balloons, they may well have greeted the new year like this—floating above the massive Sun Pyramid at sunrise today, the first day of the year according to the Aztec calendar. Also known as Yancuic Xihuitl, the Aztec New Year is still celebrated by some Indigenous Nahua communities here in central Mexico with songs, dances, and the flames of 'ocote' (pitch-pine) candles. Dancers wear colourful traditional costumes topped by quetzal feather headdresses, and celebrants greet the New Year by making loud noises with seashells, just as Aztecs did centuries ago. It's one of the many expressions of pre-Columbian tradition that managed to survive the Spanish conquest and modern erosion of Indigenous customs.

The Sun Pyramid is the largest structure in the ancient city that Aztecs called Teotihuacan (which means, roughly, 'birthplace of the gods'). The 20-square-kilometre site also contains other important pyramids, plazas, temples, palaces, and a complex network of underground tunnels. As grand a city as it once was, when the Aztecs arrived here in the 1400s, Teotihuacan had been abandoned for centuries. Its precise origins are a mystery, but it was first built by an unknown civilization sometime around 400 BCE. By 400 CE, Teotihuacan had become a centre of industry and trade, the largest and most powerful city in the Americas and probably the sixth largest in the world. But by around 550 CE, its major monuments were sacked and deliberately burned, the magnificent pyramids and temples deserted—at least until the Aztecs arrived.

sky outdoor clouds hot air balloon cloud sun nature landscape sunset sunrise cloudy dark mountain day

Related Images

The Old Fortress of Corfu, GreeceThe Old Fortress of Corfu, Greece
Cordouan Lighthouse, Royan, Charente, FranceCordouan Lighthouse, Royan, Charente, France
Church of Nuestra Señora de los Remedios and Popocatépetl, Puebla, MexicoChurch of Nuestra Señora de los Remedios and Popocatépetl, Puebla, Mexico
Wildebeests in the Maasai Mara, KenyaWildebeests in the Maasai Mara, Kenya
Adélie penguins in AntarcticaAdélie penguins in Antarctica
Machu Picchu, PeruMachu Picchu, Peru
Lenticular clouds, PatagoniaLenticular clouds, Patagonia
Ballyvooney Cove, Copper Coast Geopark, IrelandBallyvooney Cove, Copper Coast Geopark, Ireland

Today on Bing

National Theater, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

National Theater, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Mar 12, 2023
Hardened maple syrup on a wooden stick sitting on ice, Elmira, Ontario

Hardened maple syrup on a wooden stick sitting on ice, Elmira, Ontario

Mar 12, 2022
Milky-way over hoodoo rock formations in the Canadian badlands, Drumheller, Alta.

Milky-way over hoodoo rock formations in the Canadian badlands, Drumheller, Alta.

Mar 12, 2020
Channels of the Rio Tinto in Spain

Channels of the Rio Tinto in Spain

Mar 12, 2019
Arts design inside the dome of the Canadian Museum of Civilization, Gatineau, Que.

Arts design inside the dome of the Canadian Museum of Civilization, Gatineau, Que.

Mar 12, 2018
A blue-footed booby dives off San Cristóbal Island, Ecuador

A blue-footed booby dives off San Cristóbal Island, Ecuador

Mar 12, 2017

Related Tags

sky outdoor clouds landscape cloud mountain nature sunset water lake sunrise cloudy day distance hillside sun animal snow lush highland
Share photo
Share
Pin
Tweet
Line
Download 4K Ultra HD
Download 1920x1080
  • © 2023 Peapix.com
  • API
  • App
  • Privacy
The images are provided for wallpaper use only.