Last night was pretty quiet – until we went to bed! We expected some traffic noise, but we didn’t expect to have nightclub music starting at 10pm going until well after 3am! We did sleep well from 3 until 8am, so that was good.
After breakfast we decided to visit the Tula Toltec Archeologic Ruins where we were camped. We had no idea they were here, so it was a bonus for us. Admission was $70 pesos per person ($3.75USD) and did not require a guide. We were given an English map and all of the signs outside were also in English (not in the museum).
Between 900 and 1150AD, the ancient city covered nearly 16 square kilometers. Tula is the first pre-Hispanic town in central Mexico about which data is available on the history and culture, as well as names of kings, the origination of the city, its conquests and decline.
We climbed to the top of the Temple of Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli up these steep, narrow steps. From the top of the we could look out an see the Plaza (open area), the ancient ball courts, the Palace of the Columns, as well as the other buildings that have been unearthed. 
At the top of Pyramid B (the Temple) were enormous atlantes – or sculpted male figures and pilasters with reliefs. They originally served to support the roof of the temple. The Atlantes represent Toltec warriors whose dress includes symbols and elements identifying them as high-ranking military men. Behind the Atlantes are four pilasters with reliefs showing human figures.
These remains are of the great hall with numerous columns. There were three large halls but the structure was destroyed by fire, which is why they call it the Burnt Palace. It was a ritual space where religious ceremonies were held.
The two pictures below are the Coatepantli, or Serpent Wall. It has carved figures representing human skeletons devoured by enormous rattlesnakes. They are related to human sacrifice. There were also carved panels representing jaguars, coyotes, eagles, and vultures. Some of the animals are wearing collars, perhaps meaning they were domesticated and used as ceremonial mascots or military orders.
Inside the museum were several artifacts found in the area. We were impressed with this stop and recommend taking time to visit.
As we were leaving the ruins we saw several school groups – high school or older – getting ready to help with a clean-up day at the park and ruins. There were at least 100 young people and another group of local adults ready to take on the task.
We also met a local Lions club member that was there to meet his club for a tour. We talked with him for a few minutes and he was as happy to meet fellow Lions from Colorado as we were to meet a Lion from Tula!
After leaving Tula, we had another long day of driving. Toll roads, some four lane, some two lane, bypassed our way around Mexico City through Puebla and on to Oaxaca. This was one of the craziest toll booths we went through – trying to figure out which lane we should be in was a challenge!
We passed the Estadio Cuauhtemoc in Puebla. It is a football (soccer) stadium and it is the fourth biggest in Mexico seating almost 52,000 people! It was huge!
We weren’t sure what this was, it had a huge parking lot behind it and we thought it might be an amphitheater.
We passed many different geographic zones on the trip today. Farming to high desert that reminded us of Baja Mexico, up into the mountains as we made our way to Oaxaca.
Today we drove 325 miles and had $1330 pesos in tolls ($71.50USD). We are looking forward to exploring Oaxaca and meeting our former exchange student, Stephan and his girlfriend here in a couple days.
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