Bloody incident at the Teotihuacan pyramids: A young Canadian woman was killed, the attacker committed suicide / At least 13 tourists were injured

A young Canadian woman was shot dead Monday at the Teotihuacan pyramids, a major tourist attraction in Mexico, by a Mexican man who later killed himself, authorities said.

At least 13 foreign tourists, including a Colombian child, were also injured, according to the latest toll.

The attacker opened fire around noon at this heavily visited archaeological site in the center of the country.

The murdered Canadian was around 20 years old. The author of the attack, Julio César Jasso Ramírez, was a Mexican of about 30 years, according to the same source. Both had gunshot wounds to the head, according to authorities.

Of the 13 foreign tourists injured, six were hit by bullets, including a six-year-old child. In total, three Colombians, one Canadian, two Brazilians, six Americans and one Russian were injured.

“What happened today in Teotihuacan deeply saddens us,” Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum reacted on X. Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand denounced a “horrific act of armed violence” on the same social network.

“It pulls into us”

The attack took place on the Pyramid of the Moon, the only one at the site that visitors can climb up steep volcanic stone stairs.

According to the first investigations, “it seems that it is a direct aggression”, said Cristobal Castañeda, the Minister of Security of the State of Mexico, refusing to give more details.

Federal authorities found “a firearm, a white weapon (knife) and ammunition” at the scene, where police and the National Guard are mobilized, according to a statement from the federal security cabinet.

Videos posted on social media showed the attacker, with his face hidden, firing intermittent gunshots from a handgun from a terrace halfway up the 45-meter-tall Pyramid of the Moon.

Update of the Teotihuacán pirámide de la Luna el tirador utilizó pistola caliber .38 dos personas muertas una era ciudadano @Canada Li Desong su esposa Li Delicia de Yong herida both 32 years. The shooter committed suicide after the attack and was not identified. https://t.co/ikWMILAzLs pic.twitter.com/QZzPSq89um

— (Kizmar) (@antonioaranda_) April 20, 2026

“They're shooting at us, watch out, send security,” a voice is heard in one of the videos.

Teotihuacan is about 50 kilometers from the capital, from where daily tours depart for Mexican and foreign tourists.

With the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon and the Alley of the Dead, Teotihuacan is the most important monument of the pre-Hispanic Classic period, which reached its peak in the Valley of Mexico between the 1st and 7th centuries.

Between January and July 2025, the Teotihuacan pyramids were the second most visited archaeological site in the country, with almost one million tourists, after Chichen Itza, according to official figures.