Templo Mayor

The Templo Mayor was one of the main temples of the Aztecs in their capital city of Tenochtitlan, which is now Mexico City. Its architectural style belongs to the late Postclassic period of Mesoamerica. The temple was called the huey teocalli in the Nahuatl language and dedicated simultaneously to two gods, Huitzilopochtli, god of war and Tlaloc, god of rain and agriculture, each of which had a shrine at the top of the pyramid with separate staircases. The temple, measuring approximately 100 by 80 m (330 by 260 ft) at its base, dominated a Sacred Precinct. Construction of the first temple began in 1390, and it was rebuilt six times after that. The temple was destroyed by the Spanish in 1521. The modern-day archeological site lies just to the northeast of the Zocalo, or main plaza of Mexico City, on the corner of what are now Seminario and Justo Sierra streets.

Diagrams and models

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  Diagram of main pyramid showing stages of construction
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  Diagram of main pyramid of 1521 with twin shrines
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  Model of sacred precint in the Museum of Anthropology
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  Model of sacred precint in the Museum of Anthropology
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  Model of sacred precinct in Templo Mayor Museum
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  Same but numbered for identification
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  Model of Tenochtitlan outside Templo Mayor
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  A 1787 sketch of the Templo Mayor

Photos of ruins

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  View from Justo Sierra and Argentina Streets
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  View from Justo Sierra and Argentina Streets
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  Looking at Metropolitan Cathedral from ruins
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  Looking across ruins to Cathedral
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  View of ruins and museum from Argentina Street
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  View of ruins looking northeast
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  Photo taken within ruins looking towards Zocalo
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  Southwest corner of ruins
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  Inside ruins looking east
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  Replicas of stone guards where they were found
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  The skull rack or tzompantli
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  Older shrines to Tlaloc and Huitzilopochtli
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  House of Eagle Warriors(left) and Building A
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  Part of House of the Eagle Warriors
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  Painted relief in House of Eagle Warriors
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  Painted relief in House of Eagle Warriors
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  Eagle Warriors
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  House of Eagle Warriors
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  House of Eagle Warriors
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  Frog altar
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  Serpent at eastern side of the ruins
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  Serpent heads on wall on eastern side
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  Snakes head in ruins
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  Excavation shaft in ruins
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  Scupture of Tlaloc in House of Eagle Warriors
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  Sculpture of Slain Coyolxauhqui
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  A Chac Mool in the ruins

Templo Mayor Museum artifacts

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  Coyolxauhqui disk that led to excavation of Templo Mayor
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  Coyolxauhqui disk
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  Coyolxauhqui disk
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  Coyolxauhqui disk
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  Coyolxauhqui disk with probable original colors
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  The skull rack
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  Display of stone masks in museum
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  Statue of Mictlantecuhtli
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  Stela with Mayahuel
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  Tlaloc brazier
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  Offering box
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  Decorated stone blades
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  eagle vessel
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  Chinampa model