Archaeology & History

Iconic pyramids at Teotihuacan become site of fatal mass shooting

By T.K. Randall
April 21, 2026 ·  0 comments

Image: View from the Pyramid of the Moon - Teotihuacan, Mexico
Credit: Juan Carlos Fonseca Mata / CC BY-SA 4.0 (adapted) Situated approximately 40 miles to the northeast of Mexico's capital, the ancient Mesoamerican city of Teotihuacan was home to around 1.25 million people at its peak between 1,500 and 2,000 years ago.

While today much of it has been built over by modern roads and buildings, the incredible feats of engineering achieved by its builders are still reflected in these structures many centuries later.

But when this archaeological wonder started making headlines yesterday, it wasn't due to its historical significance - someone had climbed to the top of one of the pyramids, taken out a gun and started shooting at random tourists.

The man - identified as 27-year-old Julio Cesar Jasso of Mexico - had reportedly killed at least one person and injured 13 others, though the true total is likely to be higher.Some of the victims had been climbing up the pyramid at the time and ended up falling.

The gunman ultimately turned his weapon on himself.

Witnesses reported that the site had been busy at the time and that there was chaos when the bullets started flying, with people either throwing themselves on the ground or running for cover.

According to one local guide, there had previously been security vetting procedures at the site but this was stopped recently - a likely factor in how the gunman managed to get inside with weapons.

An official investigation into the shooting is now underway.

Source: npr.org | Comments (0)

Tags: Teotihuacan