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Eldar Kadymov | all galleries >> Galleries >> Viva Mexico ! > Pyramid of the Sun, Teotihuacan
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01-JAN-2006

Pyramid of the Sun, Teotihuacan

Temperature; +13C Wind; 22.4 m/sec Rain; Nasty Drizzle

THINGS THAT WENT WRONG;

a. Wind was so strong that could blow us off the pyramid
b. Memory card filled up half way through the climb and spare one was forgotten in the car
c. Bruised and scratched myself all over while getting to the shooting point
d. Chilling wind has frozen my fingers to an extend I couldn't manipulate camera controls
e. Some souvenir vendor walked by and accidentally dropped obsidian skull on my right foot
f. Camera fell down from 6' height and landed on the pile of dried manure

Teotihuacan is an enormous archaeological site in the Basin of Mexico, containing some of the largest pyramidal structures built in the pre-Columbian Americas. Apart from the pyramidal structures, Teotihuacan is also known for its large residential complexes, the so-called "Avenue of the Dead", and numerous colorful, well-preserved murals.

At its zenith in the first half of the 1st millennium CE, Teotihuacan was the largest city in the pre-Columbian Americas. At this time it may have had more than 100,000 inhabitants, placing it among the largest cities of the world in this period. The civilization and cultural complex associated with the site is also referred to as Teotihuacan or Teotihuacano.

Although it is a subject of debate whether Teotihuacan was the center of a state empire, its influence throughout Mesoamerica is well documented; evidence of Teotihuacano presence, if not outright political and economic control, can be seen at numerous sites in Veracruz and the Maya region. The ethnicity of the inhabitants of Teotihuacan is also a subject of debate. Possible candidates are the Nahua, Otomi or Totonac ethnic groups.

The city and the archaeological site were located in what is now the San Juan Teotihuacán municipality in the State of México, Mexico, approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) northeast of Mexico City. The site covers a total surface area of 83km² and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. It is one of the most visited archaeological sites in Mexico.

Pentax K100D
1/1000s f/13.0 at 70.0mm iso200 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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cantabriaphoto.com22-Oct-2010 18:29
Masterpiece
Dan Greenberg12-Jun-2010 15:50
Wow!! Outstanding composition and capture. Love the weather in this. ~BV~
M Hauss23-May-2010 17:39
Amazing atmosphere and PoV. V!
Eldar Kadymov05-Apr-2010 22:28
Grew up on the sea shore, never experienced -20 Centigrade before coming to Canada, LOL
Mattias Backström05-Apr-2010 13:45
+13 and "Chilling wind has frozen my fingers to that extend that I couldn't manipulate camera controls"?!? Come on, I thought you were Russian, and used to cold temperatures :)
Eldar Kadymov24-Mar-2010 23:59
Merci beaucoup, votre remarque gentille est très appréciée !
Fabienne SALA24-Mar-2010 22:25
Splendide: vous étiez au bon endroit et au bon moment! Et vous l'avez remarquée! Bravo!
Steve Morris19-Feb-2010 18:06
Amazing sky!BV
Marjan Schavemaker27-Jan-2010 15:26
Excellent pov, Eldar! V
Eldar Kadymov18-Jan-2010 21:22
At least something was good for me that day...
Ann Cleeves18-Jan-2010 16:48
Well this awesome image was worth your titanic efforts and mishaps to self and comera. I'm sure we are all eternally grateful. It is such a dramatic sho twith those jet black clouds and the few sunrays squeezing through to illuminate their namesake. The cactus in foreground makes it a winning composition. Yes, the gods were certainly looking down on you at some point, as imagine the scenario if the manure had been fresh!
Michael Shpuntov14-Dec-2009 21:34
Fantastic. Pity I've missed it earlier. Great shot. Particularly like this cacti or whatever it is in foreground. Creates such a perspective. Vote.
Dmitry Zamorin29-Nov-2009 16:55
Colossal!!!
Gilles Navet27-Nov-2009 23:20
Magistralement dramatique et beau
V
Gilles
Guest 25-Nov-2009 03:43
Woow outstanding... magic light and dramatic clouds. V
Blandine Mangin23-Nov-2009 18:50
a very beautiful compo ! v
Martyn Unsworth21-Nov-2009 18:00
A very original composition
Guest 20-Nov-2009 20:27
Great angle, but most of it...great construction.
Great piece of engineering considering the tools and means of that age.
Eldar Kadymov18-Nov-2009 20:47
Thank you, Tom, very appreciated ! This shot could've well been the last one made by this camera... The prospective is very rare indeed simply because the shooting point is located inside of the fenced area ( no idea why they fenced it in ), so most people wouldn't even think about getting to this place. I spotted this agave and the fenced field behind it, then tore apart few sections of the fence to get to the shooting position, then positioned the camera on the trunk of the dead tree and took 3 consequitive shots with +/- 0.3 stops exposure. When shooting sequence ended, some sudden blow of the wind tilted the tree and the camera flew down from about 6' height... Miracles do happen sometimes as it ended up on the pale of dried cow ( or other unidentified species, but it was a lot ) manure rather than on one of the rocks... No smell issues with image, ah ?!
Tom Briggs18-Nov-2009 19:25
I;ve been there and I can attest to the fact that this is a rare and beautiful photograph ... the perspective is very unique and crowned by that sky ... I'm gonna vote at least four times.
FrankB17-Nov-2009 04:18
stunning eye popper Eldar!....V
Lee G15-Nov-2009 06:15
I like this treatment!
Dramatic scene indeed.
Adeline14-Nov-2009 17:28
Eldar this is a fantastic scene. The clouds set off the main theme beautifully