Centro Ceremonial Otomí

The Centro Ceremonial Otomí looks ancient at first sight, but it was inaugurated in 1980. The state and federal governments built it in the mountains of Temoaya so the Otomí, one of the largest Indigenous peoples of the State of Mexico, would have a place to hold their ceremonies, drawing on the design of their old ritual centers. The anthropologist and architect Iker Larrauri, who also worked on Mexico City's National Museum of Anthropology, led the design.

The scale is the surprise. Huge stepped buildings and giant sculpted figures frame an enormous plaza, and a row of 52 columns stands for the 52-year cycle of the old Mesoamerican calendar. The complex covers around 45 to 50 hectares of pine and oak forest at roughly 3,000 meters, so the air is thin and cool, and the site's otherworldly look has made it a filming location for movies and music videos, from a James Bond film to recent Mexican cinema.

It is still a living ceremonial space. Every 18 March the Otomí celebrate the Fifth Sun ceremony here, and smaller rituals are held through the year. The rest of the time it is a quiet place for walking, picnics and camping, and athletes come to train at altitude.