MEXICO CITY — A gunman opened fire from the Pyramid of the Moon at the Teotihuacan archaeological zone north of the capital Monday, killing a Canadian tourist and injuring 13 other visitors before later dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Authorities said the attacker appeared to have acted alone and that investigators were still working to determine a motive as officials sealed off the complex and halted public access, April 20, 2026.
What we know about the Teotihuacan pyramids shooting
Authorities cited by Reuters identified the shooter as Julio Cesar Jasso Ramirez and said the attack unfolded at the Pyramid of the Moon, one of the site’s most recognizable monuments. The same report said the wounded included foreign visitors from Canada, the United States, Colombia, Brazil and Russia.
The Associated Press reported that the injury count rose to 13 after officials included both gunshot wounds and injuries suffered in the rush to flee. The report said victims ranged in age from 6 to 61, showing how quickly the shooting turned a crowded tourist stop into a chaotic scene.
In a notice posted Monday, Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History said the archaeological zone would remain closed until further notice while authorities continue their investigation. The shutdown immediately suspended visits to one of the country’s best-known heritage destinations.
A landmark now closed again
The complex, listed by UNESCO as the Pre-Hispanic City of Teotihuacan, lies about 50 kilometers northeast of Mexico City and includes the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon. The site is better known for archaeology and tourism than for acts of violence, which is part of why Monday’s attack reverberated so quickly in Mexico and abroad.
The closure also lands against a longer timeline of changing visitor access. Reuters reported in 2020 that Teotihuacan reopened after its pandemic shutdown under rules that barred visitors from climbing the tallest pyramids. Then, in May 2025, INAH announced that visitors could again ascend to the first level of the Pyramid of the Moon after conservation work and safety upgrades.
That recent reopening gives the latest closure added weight. A monument that had only recently regained broader public access is now at the center of a criminal investigation, and by late Monday authorities had not publicly established a motive or said when visitors would be allowed back.
