With deep sadness and concern, the diocese of Teotihuacán released this Monday, April 20, 2026, a statement in which it deplores the “regrettable events” that occurred at the Pyramid of the Moon, one of Mexico’s most emblematic archaeological sites. The document, signed by Francisco Escobar Galicia, the first bishop of Teotihuacán, comes just hours after the shooting that left a Canadian tourist dead, 13 people injured, and the attacker deceased from a gunshot.
According to preliminary information from the General Prosecutor’s Office of the State of Mexico and the federal Security Cabinet, around noon on Monday, a man identified as Julio César Jasso Ramírez, 27 years old and Mexican nationality, climbed the pyramid and opened fire indiscriminately on dozens of tourists visiting the site. He was carrying a .380 caliber short firearm, from which more than twenty usable cartridges were recovered, as well as a bladed weapon. The authorities agree that he acted alone.
The toll was immediate and tragic: a Canadian woman lost her life at the scene. Thirteen other people were injured. Of them, seven suffered bullet wounds, including two minors: a 6-year-old Colombian boy and a 13-year-old Brazilian girl. The injured include six U.S. citizens, three Colombians, two Brazilians, one Russian, and one Canadian. Six other tourists suffered injuries from falls and blows while trying to flee the scene. All received immediate medical attention.
Minutes after the shots, Jasso Ramírez took his own life with a gunshot to the head. Although some images circulated on social media showed National Guard elements and state police responding to the attack, the official report indicates that the attacker committed suicide before being reached. The area was cordoned off immediately and remains closed to the public while investigations continue. The Attorney General’s Office of the Republic has taken over the case and is collaborating with Mexico State authorities to clarify the motives for the attack, which remain unknown at this time.
In its statement titled “On the regrettable events in the Teotihuacán archaeological zone”, Escobar Galicia states: “With deep sadness and concern, we have received the news of what happened in the Teotihuacán archaeological zone, where two people have lost their lives and others have been injured. We lament both that this happens, as a consequence of the loss of the sense of life and ceasing to see in the other a brother”.
The bishop makes an urgent call to the faithful: “As bishop of this diocese, I call on the entire faithful to raise our prayers for those who have lost their lives, as well as for all the people who are erring on their path, so that they may deeply find reconciliation with God and with others. Today more than ever, we need to turn our gaze to Jesus Christ, the way, the truth, and the life, to regain Christian values in families”.
The prelate concludes by asking that “Most Holy Mary accompany and console the pain of those who suffer the loss of a loved one and of those who have gone through this bitter experience,” and signs with his apostolic blessing.
This is the first incident of this magnitude in the Teotihuacán archaeological zone, which receives millions of national and international visitors annually and is a World Cultural Heritage site. President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed her solidarity with the victims and their families and announced that security measures will be strengthened in tourist sites; the issue is also not minor with 50 days left until the start of the soccer World Cup.
While the authorities continue with expert proceedings and the full identification of all victims, the episcopal statement has become an echo of consolation and reflection in a stunned community. In a country where armed violence remains an open wound, the bishop of Teotihuacán reminds us that, beyond the investigations, it is urgent to heal the “sense of life” and recognize in every person a brother.
The full statement can be read here: