On a Monday at one of Mexico’s most visited cultural landmarks, the ancient Teotihuacan archaeological site, a deadly shooting left one Canadian woman dead and five other people wounded, according to official Mexican authorities. The gunman responsible for the attack took his own life immediately after opening fire at the pre-Aztecan pyramid complex, confirmed Cristobal Castañeda, security secretary for Mexico State, where the UNESCO-recognized site is located.
Unverified social media footage circulating after the incident shows the gunman firing repeated shots from a handgun from a position halfway up the Pyramid of the Moon, one of the site’s largest and most famous structures. In the footage, tourists can be seen scrambling for cover behind stone staircases or fleeing the area in panic, with one visitor’s voice captured shouting, “A person is opening fire on us, take care friends, send security.”
Responding state law enforcement secured the scene, seizing a pistol, a knife, and unused ammunition, before coordinating a full evacuation of all visitors from the archaeological park. Many tourists and vendors on site told reporters they did not immediately grasp the severity of the emergency. Anna Durmont, a 37-year-old American art historian on vacation, told AFP she was walking toward the pyramid when she encountered a wall of emergency vehicles and police officers. “It actually felt extremely calm,” Durmont said. “It was very measured. The park is full of souvenir sellers and they hadn’t left. It wasn’t clear to us until we got closer that there was a serious emergency.”
Mexico’s national health institute reported that seven people were ultimately transported to nearby hospitals for care. Four patients were treated for direct gunshot wounds, while others were admitted for anxiety attacks or injuries sustained while falling down the Pyramid of the Moon’s steep 47-step staircase during the chaotic evacuation. Among the injured are two Colombians, a second Canadian citizen, and one Russian national, including one minor, Castañeda confirmed.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum quickly issued a public statement on her X social media account confirming that combined federal and state security forces had been deployed to the site, and that her administration had established communication with Canadian government officials to coordinate support. “What happened today in Teotihuacan hurts us deeply,” Sheinbaum wrote. “I express my sincerest solidarity to the people affected and their families.”
While Mexico has long faced persistent challenges with organized crime and drug-related violence, large-scale indiscriminate attacks on public tourist sites remain relatively rare, especially when compared to gun violence rates in the neighboring United States. After the shooting, local journalists shared footage of a cordoned-off crime scene, where forensic investigators in protective suits worked atop the empty pyramid to collect evidence.
Teotihuacan, a 2,000-year-old abandoned pyramid city, is counted among Mexico’s most significant archaeological treasures and draws millions of international visitors annually, with tourism officials reporting more than 1.8 million visits to the site in 2025. The attack comes at a sensitive time for Mexico’s tourism sector: the country is preparing to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside the United States and Canada this June, with officials projecting more than 5.5 million international visitors will travel to Mexico for the global tournament.