TEOTIHUACAN TRAVEL GUIDE

The site is open daily from 7:30AM to 6PM. There are English speaking guides for hire at main entrances. There are five separate entrances, most with large parking lots, and three museums. At the southeast border of the site, near the Temple of Quetzalcoatl, several dozen restaurants serving typical dishes vigorously compete for business, waving passersby into their establishments. An unusual choice near Entrance Gate 5 and the above-mentioned eateries is La Gruta ($$$$, tel.555/956-0104), which serves regional specialties inside a cool cave. On weekends during the late midday comida, musicians entertain to make the experience even more entertaining.

There are budget hotels in the adjacent town of San Juan Teotihuacán, as well as the mid-priced Villas Arqueológicas Teotihuacán ($$--$$$, tel. 555/836-9020, www.villasarqueologicas.com.mx), on the west side of the ruins near the Pyramid of the Moon.

Located in Mexico state about 45 km (26 miles) north of Mexico City, the site can be reached from the capital's northern bus station, called Central de Autobuses del Norte. Buses leave about every 15 minutes during the archaeological site's opening hours. By car, take the Mexico City'Pachuca Highway or the new Arco Norte (from Querétaro or Puebla or points in between, such as Pachuca, Hidalgo), to the Carretera de las Pirámides. Signage here is lacking, but the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon can be seen for miles.