Escape from Teotihuacán Shooting
A Glasgow academic, Dr Giovana Guidicini, was atop Mexico's Teotihuacán pyramids when a gunman opened fire, forcing her to escape by scrambling down the pyramid's steep ledges.
Dr Guidicini, 46, recounted to that she heard loud bangs and screams before spotting the armed man at the UNESCO World Heritage Site earlier this week.
With no clear escape route, she and her colleague lay flat on the ground before following other frightened visitors as they carefully descended the pyramid.
A 32-year-old Canadian woman died and 13 others were injured in the attack on Monday. The gunman died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Giovana, originally from Italy, has lived in Scotland for 20 years and is an architectural historian at the Glasgow School of Art.
She was attending a conference in Mexico City and visited the Teotihuacán complex with her colleague Dmitri on the last day of her trip.
After reaching the summit of the monument, they took a selfie with crowds of tourists behind them, enjoying the panoramic views.
Minutes later, they heard a loud pop, initially thinking it was part of an entertainment event at the site.
However, when the noise repeated and was followed by screams, they realized the severity of the situation.
"That is when I realised it was real," Giovana said.
"The gunman was 20ft away from us and shooting towards the queue of people waiting to exit down the stairs.
"The screams brought the situation to life more than the gunshots."
Giovana said they attempted to find an escape route, but the gunman—27-year-old Julio César Jasso Ramírez—was firing at the only exit.
"We were trapped 70ft from the ground with nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.
"Quickly we lay flat on the ground. It was a really scary feeling - just total helplessness.
"We could still hear the screams and shootings but we had stopped looking."
While the exit was blocked, they noticed people climbing down the pyramid's layers, each approximately a 15ft (5m) drop.
Other tourists assisted as they descended the stone walls to avoid the gunman's line of sight.
Giovana said discovering this potential escape route gave her hope.
The group, about eight to ten tourists, reached the ground and moved toward the site's edge, which was surrounded by a barbed wire fence.
She described the ongoing fear despite reaching a safer location.
"When you can still hear shooting and screaming going on despite being in a safer place your instinct is to get as far away as possible.
"Some locals noticed us and brought a pick up truck over to the fence then we could climb over and there was someone to catch us at the other-side.
"When we reached the street we went to a nearby restaurant that gave us food and water."
Giovana and Dmitri then saw police and army vehicles surrounding the area.
"I had a panic attack and burst into tears while coming to terms with what happened," she said.
Giovana took an 11-hour flight home later that evening.
On her way to the airport, she informed loved ones that she was safe as news of the attack spread worldwide.
She has since viewed images and videos online showing those who were unable to escape and were held hostage on the terrace.
"There was a clip I saw of the shooter saying threats in Spanish - talking about sacrificing people and saying they would never see Europe again.
"People were stuck there powerless and potentially waiting to die."
The shooting was described as a "headache" for the Mexican government in local media reports.
The attack targeted tourists just weeks before Mexico co-hosts the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Victims treated for injuries included visitors from Russia, Colombia, and Brazil.
Context of Cartel Violence
This shooting occurred less than two months after masked gunmen from the Jalisco New Generation Cartel instigated violence nationwide following the killing of their leader "El Mencho" by security forces.
However, Mexican authorities stated this incident was unrelated to cartel violence, with the gunman acting alone.
Back in Glasgow, Giovana reflects on the trauma as the shock fades.
"I was at home last night in the kitchen and a Western film was on the TV in the living room.
"When I heard gunshots I jumped, I felt really cold and uncomfortable.
"I hope that this doesn't last forever," she added.
