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An academic from Glasgow experienced a terrifying ordeal after being caught in a shooting incident atop the ancient Teotihuacán pyramids in Mexico. Dr Giovanna Guidicini, an architecture historian based at Glasgow School of Art, was visiting the site with a colleague during a conference in Mexico City when a gunman opened fire. She described how she narrowly escaped by carefully making her way down the pyramid’s steep stone ledges amid the chaos.
Giovanna, originally from Italy and living in Scotland for two decades, recounted the moment she first heard loud bangs and screams, initially mistaking the sounds for part of the site’s entertainment. It soon became clear the situation was life-threatening when the gunman, later identified as 27-year-old Julio César Jasso Ramírez, began shooting towards people waiting to descend the stairs. Trapped about 20 feet from the shooter and 70 feet above the ground, Giovanna and her colleague flatly lay on the surface in a state of helplessness, as panicked visitors around them screamed and tried to flee.
With the usual exit blocked by the gunman, Giovanna noticed other visitors taking a risky alternative by scrambling down the pyramid’s layers, each with a drop of approximately 15 feet. Following their lead, a group of about eight to ten tourists cautiously descended the stone steps to distance themselves from the danger. Once they reached the ground, locals assisted them by bringing a pickup truck to the barbed-wire fence enclosing the site, enabling them to climb over to safety. Subsequently, they sought refuge in a nearby restaurant where they were offered food and water, while police and military forces secured the area.
After the ordeal, Giovanna flew back to Glasgow, still grappling with the trauma. She expressed her shock upon seeing videos of people trapped on the terrace during the shooting, including footage of the shooter threatening visitors in Spanish. The attack resulted in the death of a 32-year-old Canadian woman and injuries to 13 others from various countries, including Russia, Colombia, and Brazil. The gunman later died from an apparent self-inflicted wound. This tragic event underscored ongoing security issues in Mexico, coinciding with escalating cartel violence and raising concerns just weeks ahead of the country co-hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Reflecting on her recovery, Giovanna shared how ordinary sounds like gunfire on television now provoke a strong emotional reaction, revealing the lasting impact of such a traumatic experience
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