The Great Compound
I have chosen to bring visitors through the Great Compound because I suspect that it was the entry point for many ancient visitors. Located at the geographical center of the metropolis, the Great Compound was a set of low-lying platforms that encompassed a large open area. That open area may have served as the city's primary public market and also as a staging area for crowds moving across the Street of the Dead into the Ciudadela. Thus it is appropriate that today it holds a Visitor's Center, the Archaeological Zones' only restaurant and two lines of tourist shops that provide the visitor with ample spending opportunities.
The young woman in the T-shirt that says "Osos" ("Bears") is a student at the Toluca City High School, a typical participant in one of the many school groups that visit Teotihuacán every day.
Written by Richard A. Diehl
