Pyramid of Ehécatl

The temple of Ehécatl. Gengiskanhg/cc by-sa 3.0

In 1967, construction workers building the Mexico City metro system unearthed, to their surprise, a strange edifice harking back to ancient times. Archeologists were brought in to excavate the site and discern the significance of this discovery.

Unearthed from the rubble and dust accumulated over the centuries, the structure was eventually identified as being the only surviving remnant of a temple complex dedicated to the Aztec wind god Ehécatl. The circular and mound-like shape of the pyramid is believed to be a reference to a coiled snake. The god of the wind was conceived by the ancient Aztecs as simply a manifestation of a much more powerful and central deity, the plumed serpent god and creator of mankind, Quetzalcoatl.

Today, you can see and appreciate this mysterious ancient shrine right from the bustling passageways of the Pino Suárez Metro Station that surrounds it on all sides, juxtaposing Mexico City’s dizzying modernity with the antiquity of its Aztec past. Be sure to stop and take a breather and, fittingly, savor the breeze that blows from above.

Know Before You Go

You can find the temple in the middle of Metro Pino Suárez, in the passageway between line 1 (Pink line, direction: Metro Observatorio to Metro Pantitlan) and line 2 (Blue line, direction: Metro Cuatro Caminos to Metro Tasqueña). The pyramid can also be appreciated from the streets above where you can see it out in the open air. There are a sign and a small display that provide more historical and archeological information about the temple and its significance to the Aztec civilization.

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