Illegal building threatens conservation of ancient Mexican metropolis

A construction site is seen near the pre-Hispanic ruins of Teotihuacan in Oztoyahualco, in the State of Mexico, Mexico May 27, 2021. Picture taken with a drone. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso

TEOTIHUACAN, Mexico (Reuters) - Just beyond the towering pyramids of what was once the largest city of the Americas, an illegal building project threatens irreparable harm to the remains of temples and some two dozen other ancient structures in the path of the bulldozers.

The owner of the land, where construction is strictly prohibited, has ignored legal orders to stop building during the past two months from Mexico's antiquities institute INAH, sparking outrage that authorities are failing to protect the sprawling ruins of Teotihuacan, one of Mexico's top tourist draws.