Templo Mayor

Don't miss this interesting Temple

The Templo Mayor, located at the heart of Tenochtitlán’s sacred precinct, was the spiritual, social and political centre of the Aztec universe, where the earth, sky and underworld met. On a mundane level, it marked the axis about which the four major quarters of the city were orientated, north, south, east and west. Partly, the temple is believed to be a symbolic representation of the sacred hill, Coatepec, and was the site of important religious ceremonies, which were the mainstay of daily Aztec life. Construction of the temple began in 1325 on the supposed spot where the legendary omen of an eagle perched on a cactus and devouring a snake was beheld, indicating to the wandering tribe where they should settle and build their empire. First as a simple shrine and later, with six subsequent builds, as a grand pyramid, the temple was dedicated to two principal gods: Huitzilopochtli, the beloved god of war and tribute; and Tlaloc, god of rain and agriculture.

In 1519 Cortés and his band of conquistadors arrived in the city. While much impressed by the size and construction of the Templo Mayor, he was disconcerted with the idols it housed, and more so by the acts of ritual sacrifice that took place in their honour. After installing a Christian crucifix in the pyramid, relations between the Aztecs and Spaniards soon worsened, culminating in the conquest and total destruction of the city in 1521. The temple, along with the other sacred structures of Tenochtitlán’s holiest quarter, were dismantled and covered with earth.

The temple lay hidden for hundreds of years until the late 19th century, when archaeologists began uncovering a handful of structures and artefacts, most of minor importance. It was not until 1978 that the first big find was struck and electrical workers uncovered a great stone monolith depicting the dismembered moon goddess, Coyolxauqui. For the next four years, a team of archaeologists, headed by Eduardo Matos Moctezuma, initiated the Templo Mayor project and conducted a thorough excavation of the area. Levelling four city blocks and some 13 historic buildings, they resurrected the temple and uncovered over 7000 artefacts, now housed in the superb Templo Mayor museum, which should not be missed. Excavation continues today, with recent finds including an intriguing monolith of the earth goddess Tlaltechutli, uncovered in October 2006. In 2007, a new phase of investigation was initiated, which includes drawing detailed 3D maps of the area.

The site itself can be explored along various outdoor walkways, where the different phases of the temple’s development can be seen in excavated sections of walls. Each Aztec ruler was responsible for expanding the complex, which was achieved by adding new layers on top of old ones. The first temple was built by Two-Rabbit around AD 1325, but has not been uncovered by archaeologists. Thought to have been forged from earth and wood, it’s doubtful it would have survived the passage of time. The second temple was built around AD 1400 by various rulers, and the few uncovered remnants include two shrines, a chac-mool and a sacrificial stone. The most notable contribution of Itzcoatl, builder of the third temple, are eight stone standard bearers thought to have guarded access to the upper shrines.

By the fourth stage of development, the Templo Mayor began to acquire the grandiose characteristics befitting a burgeoning empire capital. Between 1440-1481, Moctezuma I and Axayacatl added fine decorations and sculptures, stone serpent staircases, rich braziers and sumptuous offerings. The more modest fifth stage, initiated by Tizoc around 1486, consisted of a new stucco layer and ceremonial plaza. The sixth temple was vividly inaugurated by Emperor Ahuizotl in 1487. Now walled-off and richly decorated with serpents heads, he ordered the ritual sacrifice of some 1000 prisoners of war, every day for 20 days, as part of the celebrations. Predictably, the streets ran with blood. The seventh and final layer, like the first, has been lost. Destroyed by the Spaniards, we have only historical sources to verify its appearance, which was immense, magnificent and lavishly decorated by most accounts....read more