Templo Mayor

The Templo Mayor (Great Temple) was one of the main temples of the Aztecs. It was 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 huei teocalli in the Nahuatl language. It was dedicated to two gods, Huitzilopochtli, god of war, and Tlaloc, god of rain and agriculture. Each one had a shrine at the top of the pyramid with separate stairways. The spire in the center of the image to the right was devoted to Quetzalcoatl in his form as the wind god, Ehecatl.

The Great Temple devoted to Huiztilopochtli and Tlaloc was approximately 100 by 80 m (328 by 262 ft) at its base. Construction of the first temple began sometime after 1325. 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 The site is part of the Historic Center of Mexico City, which was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987.

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Michael Fuchs
25 March 2018
Not to be missed in CDMX. This is THE place to learn about Mexica culture. The area offers much more than you‘ll see from the outside and the museum has outstanding exhibits.
David Lor
8 July 2017
"Discovered in 1978" though the old sewer line running through the middle says you otherwise. That in itself says a lot about the history of the Templo Mayor and it's people. Don't miss this place.
Jakob Koefoed
25 September 2014
The site is confusing with its many layors of one pyramid sticking up! Bring a friend who knows the site ;) the museum is the best museum we have visited in Mexico so far! Learned a lot!
Ivan Luzardo
12 April 2017
Is an excellent choice to understand the history of old Tenochtitlan and is strategically located next to main chatedral and Mexico City main square.
Paula Madeira
28 November 2021
Great experience, so worth it! It is huge, so you may take between 2 and 3 hours there, but it is very nice.
Mariah Maggioli
11 March 2017
A must go in town! super interesting and complete museu! loved!
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