A man standing atop one of the ancient pyramids at Teotihuacán in Mexico opened fire on tourists Monday, killing a Canadian woman and injuring at least 13 others, according to Mexican authorities. The shooter was identified by the Associated Press as 27-year-old Mexican national Julio César Jasso Ramírez. Authorities said he later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound following the attack.
Security officials added that he was found in possession of a firearm, a knife, and ammunition. The Mexican government said that he acted alone. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum called for stricter gun control at tourist sites on Tuesday.
“We need to have better security to make sure someone can’t enter an archaeological site, a tourist site, with a firearm,” the president said in a press conference in Mexico City, which is weeks away from hosting a number of matches for this summer’s FIFA World Cup. Meanwhile, José Luis Cervantes Martínez, the attorney general for Mexico State (Edomex), told reporters that Ramírez “made multiple preliminary visits to the archaeological site, stayed in nearby hotels in advance, and planned his violent act from there,” echoing security officials’ assertions that the shooting “was not spontaneous.” Video and images published by Mexican media outlets show a man, later identified as Ramírez, opening fire into the crowd from atop the Pyramid of the Moon as people scrambled for cover.
“Some people, because they were scared… threw themselves face down on the ground, and the rest of us started to go down,” a guide told Euronews, recalling how the shooter began firing as visitors descended the pyramid’s steps. A Canadian eyewitness described “thousands of people” rushing to escape, turning the previously tranquil site into chaos. Local authorities reported that seven individuals sustained gunshot wounds but did not specify how the remaining injuries occurred.
Several people were also confirmed to have fallen in the frenzy, including some who had been climbing the pyramid. Those taken to hospitals for treatment were six Americans, three Colombians, one Russian, two Brazilians, and one Canadian, the local government said. The youngest person who was injured was 6; the oldest was 61, Mexican authorities said.
The Teotihuacán pyramids, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987, form a complex of monumental structures built by successive Indigenous civilizations. The site attracts more than 1.8 million international visitors each year, according to recent government figures.