A horrifying scene unfolded at the historic Teotihuacán archaeological site north of Mexico City on Monday, when an armed gunman opened fire on tourists atop the Pyramid of the Moon. The shooting, which occurred shortly after 11:30 a.m., resulted in the death of a Canadian tourist and left at least 13 others injured.
Local authorities confirmed that the shooter, later identified as a Mexican national, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the scene. As chaos erupted at the popular tourist destination, visitors were forced to take desperate measures to survive, with many laying motionless on the pyramid’s platform to avoid being targeted.
One eyewitness, a tour guide who requested anonymity for safety reasons, recounted the terrifying moments when the violence began. “Some people, because they were scared, threw themselves face down on the ground, and the rest of us started to go down,” the guide stated, describing how the gunman began firing as tourists attempted to descend.
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Another witness, Brenda Lee of Vancouver, described the initial confusion before reality set in. “Before we knew it, someone said, ‘No, that’s gunfire, run,’ and we saw people coming off the top,” she told broadcasters. “There were thousands of people there and there were a lot of gunshots that just kept coming.”
The victims included tourists from Canada, Colombia, Russia, Brazil, and the United States. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed deep concern regarding the incident, stating that her government is in contact with the Canadian Embassy and that the incident would be thoroughly investigated.
In a statement on social media, Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand addressed the tragedy, saying: “As a result of a horrific act of gun violence, a Canadian was killed and another wounded in Teotihuacán.” She added that her “thoughts are with their family and loved ones.”
