A Canadian tourist killed during a shooting at the archaeological site of Teotihuacán, Mexico, this Monday, April 20, 2026.
13 injured and one dead is the sad assessment drawn up by the Mexican authorities on the night of Monday April 20 to Tuesday 21. Following this incident on the site of Teotihuacánthe Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum requested a strengthening of controls on the various tourist sites in the country. Among the injured, seven were reportedly shot. THE six other injured people reportedly fell from steep steps of the historical monument.
Lo ocurrido hoy en Teotihuacán nos duele profundamente. Express my sincere solidarity with the affected people and their families. We are in contact with the Canadian Embassy.
He instructed the Security Agency to investigate the background of these items and all of them… https://t.co/ceBDNjKxDv
— Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo (@Claudiashein) April 20, 2026
The shooter’s profile
The shooter is also part of the human toll. He was found dead after his crime. In addition, the authorities identified him thanks to a ID found on him. It would be about Julio César Jasso Ramirezan individual in his thirties who arrived on site the Sunday preceding the attack. The Teotihuacán attack was not spontaneous. After investigation, the perpetrator of the crime would have been seen on the scene numerous times before. His equipment also suggests that the act was premeditated. The perpetrator of the crime would have previously spent the sum of 2,000 dollars to equip himself and organize his transport. The circumstances of his death remain uncertain. According to El País Méxicothe National Guard would have admitted to having opened fire on him, without admitting to having directly shot him. Other sources claim that the perpetrator killed himself.
The profile of the shooter appears particularly worrying. Several photos show him performing a Nazi salute. Investigators also reportedly found several AI-generated images near his body. The latter represent him alongside the perpetrators of the Columbine massacre of 1999. The date of April 20 does not seem insignificant either. It is both the birthday of the dictator Adolf Hitler and the massacre of Columbine. According to MilenioJulio César Jasso Ramírez also wore an inscription on his t-shirt. “ Disconnect & Self Destruct », a slogan associated on the internet with the 1999 killings was written there. Beyond this alarming profile, the authorities do not identify any plausible motive.
Attention: Tiroteo en las pirámides de Teotihuacán, en México. Reported una persona muerta. The attacker was killed if he was killed by the national guard. Via @BluRadioCo pic.twitter.com/YxKV8DSx4V
— Ricardo Ospina (@ricarospina) April 20, 2026
What represents Teotihuacán
Archaeologists have long explored the site of Teotihuacán, located almost 50 km from Mexico (either ” the place where gods are created » in the Nahuatl language), which is one of the oldest archaeological sites in Mexico. The first excavations, dating from 1884, revealed that this ancient city was among the most important in America before the Christian era. More than 25,000 inhabitants would have lived there at its peak.
According to theUNESCOthe city then extended over nearly 36 km², not counting its ceremonial center, which represented only 10% of the total area of the city. With its Pyramids of the Sun and Moon, Teotihuacán is one of the most important tourist sites in the country. These pyramids are listed as World Heritage Sites by theUNESCO. They constitute the second most visited archaeological site in Mexico, behind Chichen Itza has Yucantan. In Mexican history, several archaeological sites record incidents.
Mexico is a country whose economy is largely based on tourism. In 2022, it was the sixth most popular global destinationwith 42 million international visitors. Such an event, occurring on one of the most visited archaeological sites in the country, poses a real threat to the tourist attractiveness and economic stability of the country. As the 2026 World Cup approaches, many observers are questioning the country’s ability to guarantee the security of the event.
