By Michael Rios, Mauricio Torres

(CNN) — A Canadian woman was killed and six Americans were among the more than a dozen wounded after a gunman opened fire at Mexico’s Teotihuacán pyramids, a popular tourist hotspot, on Monday, authorities said.

According to preliminary information, a man fired shots at the archaelogical site near Mexico City, killing the Canadian woman before taking his own life, the Mexican security cabinet said on X.

Authorities say they seized a firearm, a bladed weapon and live cartridges at the site.

The shooter was named by the State of Mexico Prosecutor’s Office as Julio César Jasso Ramírez, a Mexican citizen. The prosecutors said that preliminary information indicated he acted alone.

At least 13 people were injured during the attack, with eight still hospitalized late Monday, the Secretary of Government said in a statement. In a social media post, the security cabinet said seven people suffered gunshot wounds, while six were injured falling.

The shooting comes as Mexico faces scrutiny over public security, weeks before it is set to welcome millions of visitors for the World Cup.

Cristóbal Castañeda Camarillo, security secretary for the State of Mexico, said that authorities received word of the shooting around 11:20 a.m. local time.

When National Guard personnel arrived ten minutes later and confronted the shooter, “the alleged aggressor fired a weapon at the National Guard members, who returned fire.”

“The aggressor was wounded in the leg and later, at 11:45 a.m., he took his own life,” Castañeda said.

At the same press conference, state Attorney General José Luis Cervantes Martínez told reporters that Ramírez was carrying a backpack containing ammunition, a “bladed weapon,” and images and handwritten notes “related to violent incidents known to have occurred in the United States in April 1999.”

The attacker wrote in some notes that he “was going to carry out the act, and that he drew inspiration from beyond Earth,” the prosecutor said.

Cervantes added that he would not provide further details on the content of the notes or the images due to the ongoing investigation.

While Cervantes did not specify which “violent incident” he was referring to, the attack at Teotihuacan occurred on the 27th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting in April 1999, when two students killed 14 people and shaped the way police departments in the US respond to attacks at schools.

In the succeeding years, the Columbine attack and its perpetrators have become subjects of a grim fan subculture and inspired numerous copycat shootings.

Teotihuacán is a major archaeological site and tourist destination located about 30 miles northeast of Mexico City. The vast archaeological zone, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is lined with multiple monuments including two towering pyramids.

Videos on social media show people fleeing the area after gunfire was heard around Teotihuacán’s Pyramid of the Moon.

The day after the attack, some in Teotihuacan worried that increased security at the site might affect the local economy.

“It affects everyone here,” local Mati Vidal Reyes told Reuters. “The thing is (access to the pyramids) has always been open. I mean, tourists basically come to relax, not to see police – and you know, when you see police, you immediately think, ‘What’s going on?’ This has always been a free zone, you could say.”

Most of those injured were foreigners, although it is not clear whether they were all tourists. Among those taken to hospitals were six Americans, three Colombians, one Russian, one Brazilian, one Dutch national and one Canadian, the local government said in a statement.

Canada’s Foreign Ministry later confirmed that one of its citizens was killed and another was wounded. In a statement, it expressed condolences to the victims’ families and thanked the Mexican government for its response.

Early Tuesday morning, US Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson said in a post on social media that “several U.S. citizens” were injured in the shooting.

“We stand ready to support as needed as Mexican authorities continue their investigation,” Johnson said.

CNN has reached out to the Colombian and Russian embassies for comment.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said authorities from federal, state and local agencies were responding to the shooting rampage.

“What happened today in Teotihuacán deeply hurts us. I express my most sincere solidarity with the people affected and their families. We are in contact with the Canadian Embassy,” she said.

Mexico’s Foreign Ministry said it was also in contact with other embassies and was working to provide necessary support to the injured foreign nationals.

State of Mexico Governor Delfina Gómez also offered support, sending her “solidarity to the families of the people who were affected by what happened in Teotihuacán.”

This story has been updated with additional information.

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