The rare attack at a UNESCO World Heritage site pushed officials to reopen with guards, searches and promised metal detectors as the 2026 World Cup draws closer.
SAN JUAN TEOTIHUACAN, Mexico — Mexican authorities reopened the Teotihuacan archaeological zone Wednesday under tighter security after a gunman killed a Canadian tourist and wounded 13 other visitors at the Pyramid of the Moon two days earlier, turning one of the country’s best-known landmarks into a crime scene.
The shooting jolted Mexico because it struck a site tied to tourism, archaeology and national identity, not a place usually linked to gunfire. Officials said the attacker acted alone, but by Wednesday they still had not publicly explained why he chose the ancient complex or how he moved a firearm into the monument area before opening fire. The case also quickly grew beyond a local investigation because the wounded included foreign visitors from several countries and because Mexico is less than two months away from co-hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup with the United States and Canada.
Authorities said the attack began shortly after 11:30 a.m. Monday, April 20, when visitors crowded the Pyramid of the Moon and the plaza below. Witnesses said the gunman fired from an upper section of the structure as tourists first mistook the sound for firecrackers. An anonymous tour guide told reporters that some people dropped flat onto the stone surface while others rushed toward the steps, and that the shooter fired as people tried to get down. Brenda Lee, a visitor from Vancouver, later said the fear spread almost instantly once people realized the noise was gunfire. “There were thousands of people there and there were a lot of gunshots that just kept coming,” Lee said. In the confusion, some people tried to hide behind stone walls and other structures, while others jumped or fell as they tried to escape the upper levels. Police assigned to the site and National Guard personnel moved in as first responders, and authorities closed the archaeological zone while paramedics treated the wounded and prosecutors secured the scene.
By late Monday and into Tuesday, investigators had built a firmer outline of what happened, even as key questions remained unanswered. Authorities identified the gunman as Julio César Jasso, 27, a Mexican citizen. They said he was the only assailant and that he died at the site after the attack. Officials recovered a gun, a knife and ammunition, and State of Mexico authorities later said he fired 14 shots. They also said he carried a plastic bag containing 52 live .38 Special rounds. Of the 13 injured, officials said seven suffered gunshot wounds. The others were hurt in the panic that followed, though authorities did not publicly break down every injury. Mexican officials said the wounded ranged in age from 6 to 61 and included visitors from Canada, the United States, Colombia, Brazil, Russia and the Netherlands. Authorities have not publicly identified the Canadian woman who was killed. Nor had they, by Wednesday, fully explained whether Jasso selected victims at random, how long he had been inside the site before the shooting, or why none of the monument’s normal layers of control stopped him before he climbed into position.
The case grew more troubling Tuesday when officials disclosed what they said they had found among the gunman’s belongings. State of Mexico Attorney General Luis Cervantes said authorities recovered books, handwritten notes, images and other material tied to acts of violence in the United States in April 1999. Officials and news reports connected those references to the Columbine High School massacre in Colorado. A state official also said investigators found an artificial-intelligence altered image showing Jasso alongside the Columbine attackers. Cervantes said the shooting appeared to have been planned, not spontaneous, and added that Jasso had visited Teotihuacan many times before. President Claudia Sheinbaum said the attack appeared linked to psychological problems and “external influences,” and she described the violence as something Mexico had not seen at a cultural site of this kind. Even so, the evidence released so far did not amount to a full public motive. Prosecutors still had to complete ballistic work, autopsies, witness interviews and a reconstruction of the gunman’s movements before and during the shooting.
The setting gave the attack unusual national and international weight. Teotihuacan lies about 50 kilometers, or 31 miles, northeast of Mexico City and is one of the country’s most visited archaeological destinations. The site, a UNESCO World Heritage landmark, drew about 1.8 million visitors last year, according to government figures. Its Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon anchor a vast ceremonial city that developed centuries before the Aztecs. For many Mexicans, the site is both a historic treasure and a living symbol used in school trips, holiday visits and official tourism campaigns. That is why the shooting landed so hard. It was not only a homicide investigation but also a breach at a place marketed as open, monumental and safe for families and foreign travelers. The timing sharpened those concerns. Local officials had recently discussed reviving a nighttime light show at Teotihuacan for World Cup visitors, and the site was expected to draw added attention during the tournament. Instead, the attack forced the government to answer whether basic screening and emergency planning at major heritage sites had kept pace with the crowds they attract.
By Wednesday, the government had moved from emergency response to visible damage control. The archaeological zone reopened with a heavier police and military presence after closing temporarily, and access to the Pyramid of the Moon remained blocked. Reuters reported that 40 National Guard members joined municipal and Mexico City police at the site. Officers inspected bags and backpacks at the five entrances, and officials said metal detectors would be added. Bomb-sniffing dogs circled cars as visitors filed in, and the stronger security slowed entry enough that some tourists waited more than three and a half hours in the sun. The National Institute of Anthropology and History said free admission would be offered to people affected by the delays. Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch said Mexico would tighten controls not only at Teotihuacan but also at other archaeological and tourist sites. That message was aimed at two audiences at once: families deciding whether the pyramids were still safe to visit, and FIFA officials watching security preparations before the World Cup opens June 11 in Mexico City. Sheinbaum said she had already discussed logistics with FIFA representatives and insisted the country would guarantee security for the tournament.
On the ground, Wednesday’s reopening showed how quickly a famous destination can become both a memorial space and a checkpoint. Tourists again lined up for photos with the pyramids in the background, but now they passed officers in tactical gear and vehicles parked near the entrance roads. Some visitors said the extra security made them feel calmer. American tourist Imran Khan said the attack had already happened and that he believed there would now be enough protection. French visitor Lou Kermarrec said she expected a large police presence and did not feel insecure, though she called the shooting terrible because the site is so popular. Vendors and guides, whose livelihoods depend on a steady flow of tourists, faced a different reality. The area had spent two days under closure, and the attack left a stain on a place better known for sunlit plazas, souvenir stands and school groups than forensic tape and armed patrols. That contrast may prove to be one of the most lasting effects of the shooting. Even after the lines move again and visitors return, the memory of people scrambling for cover at the foot of a pre-Hispanic monument is likely to shape how officials talk about safety at Mexico’s most visible cultural sites.
The site was open again Wednesday, but the case was far from over. Prosecutors were still working through forensic findings, interviews and security reviews, the Pyramid of the Moon remained closed, and officials had yet to say when they would release a fuller account of motive, screening failures and any permanent changes before the June 11 World Cup opener.
Author note: Last updated April 22, 2026.