A gunman with Nazi sympathies, who tragically shot a Canadian tourist and wounded 13 others from atop a pyramid at Mexico’s Teotihuacán ruins, had meticulously planned the assault for two months. He reportedly studied an image of the famous site from his hotel room, according to authorities.
In February, Julio César Jasso began sending text messages regarding accommodations for a stay between April 8 and April 20. He expressed interest in a hotel room near what he referred to as the “Holy City,” as reported by the Mexican news outlet Telediario.
Jasso reached out to the management of Hotel Villa Meztli, situated approximately three miles from Teotihuacán, on February 17. He specifically asked about the availability of a single room.
“What I’m interested in knowing is exactly where this is, and how far away it is from the Holy City,” he inquired in Spanish.
The room rate totaled 7,800 pesos (about $451), with Jasso required to pay a 50% deposit to secure the reservation.
He informed the hotel staff that the booking would be under the name “Julio Cesar Ramirez” and provided proof of his bank transfer to confirm the reservation.
The alleged shooter messaged the hotel one week before arriving to make sure everything was in order for his stay and to confirm he could pay his balance in-person.
He stayed in a 4×4 room that had a picture depicting the scene looking out from the Pyramid of the Moon â the pyramid which he scaled â before unleashing a hail of bullets.
Investigators said he would study the picture, plotting the scene of the shooting.
Officials also discovered warped notes in the room where he penned thoughts about being superior.
Jasso visited the tourist attraction several times before Mondayâs shooting, Milenio reported.
He was armed with a 1968 Smith & Wesson firearm and there were 58 rounds of unused ammunition, according to the outlet.
Chilling footage has since surfaced showing Jasso pacing back and forth, loading his gun on a platform on the ruins — once used for human sacrifice.
Witness Laura Torres told local media she saw Jasso shooting from âup on top of the pyramidâ before saying âthere were a lot of people, he had people as hostages.â
He shot dead a Canadian woman, while six Americans, three Colombians, one Russian, two Brazilians and one Canadian were taken to the hospital.
Jasso died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Security officials recovered a knife as well as a bizarre AI-generated image of the gunman posing with the Columbine High School shooters, coinciding with the 27th anniversary of the massacre.
Authorities additionally said they found images of Jasso performing the Nazi salute, which heâd been known to do since he was a teenager, Telediario reported. And, Adolf Hitler was born in Austria on April 20 1889.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum wrote on X that she has been in touch with the Canadian Embassy and that she has instructed Mexicoâs security cabinet to âthoroughly investigateâ the incident.
The Pyramid of the Moon was built between 100 and 450 C.E. â centuries before the Aztec empire â when Teotihuacán was among the largest cities in the ancient world.
