Quetzalcoatl Pyramid Temple at Teotihuacan Ruins.

© diegograndi/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Templo de Quetzalcóatl

Top choice in Teotihuacán


Teotihuacán's third-largest pyramid is the most ornate. The four surviving steps of the facade (there were originally seven) are adorned with striking carvings. In the tablero (right-angled) panels, the feathered serpent deity alternates with a two-fanged creature identified as the fire serpent, bearer of the sun on its daily journey across the sky. Imagine their eye sockets laid with glistening obsidian glass and the pyramid painted blue, as it once was. On the talud (sloping) panels are side views of the plumed serpent.

The fearsome plumed serpent is a precursor to the later Aztec god Quetzalcóatl. Some experts think the temple carvings depict war, while others interpret them as showing the creation of time.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Teotihuacán attractions

1. La Ciudadela

0.02 MILES

This expansive square complex is believed to have been the residence of the city’s supreme ruler, and its rooms may have been the city’s administrative…

2. Museo del Sitio

0.6 MILES

Lying just south of the Pirámide del Sol, Teotihuacán's site museum makes for a refreshing stop midway through a visit to the historic complex. The museum…

4. Teotihuacán

0.75 MILES

This fabulous archaeological zone lies in a mountain-ringed offshoot of the Valle de México. Site of the huge Pirámides del Sol y de la Luna (Pyramids of…

5. Pirámide del Sol

0.75 MILES

The world’s third-largest pyramid – surpassed in size only by Egypt’s Cheops (which is also a tomb, unlike the temples here) and the pyramid of…

6. Calzada de los Muertos

0.78 MILES

Centuries ago, the Calzada de los Muertos must have seemed absolutely incomparable to its inhabitants, who were able to see its buildings at their best…

7. Palacio de Tepantitla

0.96 MILES

This priest’s residence, 500m northeast of the Pirámide del Sol, contains Teotihuacán’s most famous fresco, the worn Paradise of Tláloc. The rain god…

8. Palacio de Quetzalpapálotl

1.1 MILES

Off the Plaza de la Luna’s southwest corner is the Palace of the Quetzal Butterfly, thought to be the home of a high priest. The remains of bears,…