A man opened fire on Monday from the top of the Pyramid of the Moon in Teotihuacán. The suspect fired at tourists visiting the site, killing a Canadian woman and injuring three other people. The gunman eventually took his own life, according to the Mexican Security Cabinet.
The armed attack began shortly after noon at the northern end of the archaeological complex. A man climbed the Pyramid of the Moon — the second-largest in Teotihuacán, standing 43 meters tall — and opened fire from the top. In front of the structure lies the Plaza de la Luna, an open space where several tourists were walking as part of a historical tour of the site. Authorities reported in a preliminary statement that an operation has been deployed in the area. “A man fired shots at the site and subsequently took his own life. Unfortunately, a Canadian woman lost her life and three other people were injured; they are receiving medical care,” the statement said. Officers have recovered a firearm, a knife, and several cartridges at the scene.
Videos that have begun circulating on social media show the confusion in the first few minutes, when the gunshots were heard, and then the panic that spread among the visitors. The footage shows people running across the plaza and several women hiding behind the walls of the stone structures. “Call the police!” one of them can be heard shouting. From the bottom of the pyramid’s imposing stairs, a man in a plaid shirt can be seen walking across the upper platform, while a group of people huddled in one corner of the area protect themselves by lying flat on the ground.
Less than a year ago, Mexico’s Ministry of Culture, through the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), reopened access to the top of the Pyramid of the Moon after conservation work was completed. Climbing to the top of the structure has been prohibited since 2020, just as access remains restricted to the complex’s two other major structures: the Pyramid of the Sun and the Temple of Quetzalcóatl. However, permission to ascend was reinstated last May, but only as far as the first level of the structure, to avoid damaging or compromising the monument, which was built between 100 and 650 AD.
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