Templo Mayor

The "Templo Mayor" (commonly known by this Spanish name, meaning "Great Temple") was the main temple of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, now (modern Mexico City). The temple rose 60 m (197 ft) above the city's ritual precinct (teocalli), surmounted by dual shrines to the deities Huitzilopochtli (god of war and sun) and Tlaloc (god of rain and fertility).

The teocalli was mostly destroyed in 1521 after the conquest of the Aztec empire by the Spanish conquistadores under the leadership of Hernán Cortés. However, remains of the lower portions of the temple complex have been discovered by modern archaeologists buried under a portion of modern Mexico City.

Numerous smaller buildings and platforms associated with the temple formed a closely-situated complex around its base. A stucco relief depicting a "tzompantli", or "skull rack", decorated one platform leading to the temple.

The temple was enlarged at least seven times, and for the last time in 1487.

The temple symbolizes both the Aztec world and the battle between Huitzilopochtli, the god of war and his sister Coyolxauhqui, goddess of the moon. According to the Aztec world vision, the universe was divided into three levels, 1) the thirteen skies above the Earth 2) the Earth, particularly the four cardinal directions and 3) the realm of the dead, called Mictlan. The platform of the temple represented the Earth, the skies were represented by the buildings built on the platform and Mictlan was represented by stairs leading down between the dual temples toward a tzompantli altar, decorated with 240 stucco-covered stone skulls. cite book |title=Mexico City Historic Center |last=Galindo |first=Carmen |authorlink= |coauthors=Magdelena Galindo |year=2002 |publisher=Ediciones Nueva Guia |location=Mexico City |isbn=968 5437 29 7 |pages=32-39 |url= ]

The south side of the temple is dedicated to the story between the god of war and his sister. According to legend, their mother, Coatlicue became pregnant with Huitzilopochtli when she came upon a little ball of feathers which she put against her breast. When her children, the Centzonhitznahua people and the goddess Coyolxauhqui found out about the pregnancy, they were angered by the indignity such a pregnancy brought about. They plotted to kill Coatlicue for this. However, the unborn Huitzilopochtli told his mother that he would protect her. When Coyolxauhqui came to kill Coatlicue, Huitzilopochtli was suddenly born, armed with a fiery serpernt, which he used to kill his sister and throw her body from a hill to be smashed on the rocks below. After this, he then killed or expelled the Centzonhitznahua people.

The Templo Mayor was excavated between 1978 and 1987 in a major project directed by Eduardo Matos Moctezuma.

References

: cite book |author=aut|Díaz del Castillo, Bernal |authorlink=Bernal Díaz del Castillo |year=1963 |origyear=1632 |title=The Conquest of New Spain |edition=6th printing (1973)|others=J.M. Cohen (trans.) |series=Penguin Classics|publisher=Penguin Books |location=Harmondsworth, England|isbn=0-14-044123-9 |oclc=162351797 : cite book |author=aut|Matos Moctezuma, Eduardo |authorlink=Eduardo Matos Moctezuma |year=1988 |title=The Great Temple of the Aztecs: Treasures of Tenochtitlan |series=New Aspects of Antiquity series |others=Doris Heyden (trans.)|location=New York |publisher=Thames & Hudson |isbn=0-500-39024-X |oclc=17968786 : cite book |author=aut|Matos Moctezuma, Eduardo |authorlink=Eduardo Matos Moctezuma |year=1998 |title=Vida y muerte en el Templo Mayor |edition=3rd edition |location=México D.F. |publisher=Fondo de Cultura Económica |isbn=968-16-5712-8 |oclc=40997904 es icon : cite press release |publisher=aut|Oficina de la Presidencia de la República, México|date=2008-06-08 |title=Most Important Offering in Past 30 Years Discovered in Great Temple |url=http://www.presidencia.gob.mx/en/press/?contenido=36182 |accessdate=2008-06-10

Gallery

External links

* [http://www.templomayor.inah.gob.mx/ Museo del Templo Mayor Main Site]
* [http://archaeology.la.asu.edu/tm/index2.htm Museo del Templo Mayor-ASU site]