What remains of the aztecs great temple templo mayor sits right in the middle of mexico city, but many tourists miss it. The templo mayor was a vast complex of religious buildings in the center of tenochtitlan, the capital city of the aztec empire. The archaeology of the great temple of tenochtitlan in mexico city began in 1790 with the recognition that sculptures such as the aztec calendar sun stone, were culturally important and valuable. The aztec vision of place david carrasco when the spaniards arrived in the valley of mexico and first saw the aztec capital of tenochtitlan in 1519, they were startled by its architectural wonders, social complexity and spatial organization.
Sporadic excavations since the end of the 19th century beginning of the 20th century, brought to light only some. Shortly thereafter, archaeologists realized that the monolith displayed the mexica aztec goddess coyolxauhqui, or bellshercheeks, the sister of the mexicas. Couples in particular like the location they rated it 8. Astronomical alignments at the templo mayor of tenochtitlan, mexico. In honor of the spring equinox, id like to share an interesting article by ivan sprajc that explores some theories regarding possible astronomical associations of the architecture of the grand temple. Pride of place is given to the great wheellike stone of coyolxauhqui she of bells on. Templo mayor mexico city, mexico attractions lonely planet. When the spaniards arrived in tenochtitlan in 1519, the aztec capitals main shrine stood 150 feet high. In 1978, a massive, 8ton 7,000kilogram stone depicting coyolxauhqui the aztec goddess of the moon was unearthed, marking the location of the temple, a gathering place sacred for the aztecs during the 0s and 1400s. This paper, astronomical alignments at the templo mayor of tenochtitlan, mexico is the result of the studies he conducted at the excavation site of the huey teocalli in mexico city. The first temple was begun by the aztecs the year after they founded the city, and the temple was rebuilt six times. According to legend, the aztecs were told by a god to find a place where an eagle stood upon a cactus with a snake in its beak, and there, to build their city tenochtitlan, the aztec capital that was to become epicenter of power for the powerful aztec empire. O templo mayor 1 era um dos principais templos dos astecas na sua capital tenochtitlan, atual cidade do mexico. The ceremonial precinct included diverse pyramidsanctuaries like the templo mayor great.
Templo mayor simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. In the powerful aztec capital cities, doubletemple pyramids reflected their locations status. Even the dimensioning modules appear to be similar. In the center of the huitzilopochtli temple was a sacrificial stone. The templo mayor museum contains eight exhibit halls that narrate the history of the archaeological site. Templo mayor is a temple in mexico city and has an elevation of 2242 meters. Templo mayor at tenochtitlan, the coyolxauhqui stone, and an. Templo mayor was our destination, one of the main aztec temples in the aztec capital of tenochtitlan now mexico city. O seu estilo arquitetonico pertence ao periodo posclassico mesoamericano. Jan 21, 2014 templo mayor was our destination, one of the main aztec temples in the aztec capital of tenochtitlan now mexico city. A place for human sacrifices the pinnacle of aztec architecture was a vast religious building with a bloodsoaked history. However, in the 20th century, archaeologists began. Here you will find displays of the artifacts discovered during within the temple ruins, including the monolith of the moon goddess coyolxauhqui, as well as obsidian knives, rubber balls, jade and turquoise masks, reliefs, sculptures and many other objects that were.
The templo mayor of the aztecs, mexicocity sporadic excavations since the end of the 19th century beginning of the 20th century, brought to light only some remnants of the templo mayor. Here you will find displays of the artifacts discovered during within the temple ruins, including the monolith of the moon goddess coyolxauhqui, as well as obsidian knives, rubber balls, jade and turquoise masks, reliefs, sculptures and many other objects that were used for ritual or. Visita guiada zona arqueologica del templo mayor duration. In february 1978, electrical workers uncovered a large stone sculpture, depicting the aztec female lunar deity coyolxauhqui. It was built around the year 25 ce in a place believed to be where.
The 10 best museo del templo mayor templo mayor museum. This enigmatic space will transport you back to the past, as we witness layers of prehispanic ruins, spanish colonial vestiges and the bustling contemporary city around it. Templo mayor was finally excavated in the 1970s and today is one of the most significant historical sites in the area. The templo mayor was the main temple of the mexica peoples in their capital city of. It was dedicated to two gods, huitzilopochtli, god of war, and tlaloc, god of rain and. The temple was called the huei teocalli in the nahuatl language. The templo mayor or great temple called hueteocalli by the aztecs dominated the central sacred precinct of the aztec capital tenochtitlan. The aztec vision of place david carrasco when the spaniards arrived in the valley of mexico and first saw the aztec capital of tenochtitlan in 1519, they were startled by its architectural wonders. Matos moctezuma uses the aztec world view as the basis for his hypothesis concerning the symbolism of the great temple. In 1521, the conquistadors began removing the templo mayors stone, using it instead to construct their great catholic masterpiece the metropolitan cathedral.
They used the plaster, sand, and volcanic rock from the surroundings of the city. This deity was slain and dismembered by her brother huitzilopochtli, the war god, according to legend. Temple dedicated to the gods huitzilopochtli and tlaloc, the circular. But when in 1978 construction workers discovered the large stone relief with the representation of coyolxauhqui, this caused a sensation. Mexicas commonly referred to as aztec dancers, spiritual runners, and. Paired together on the templo mayor, the two deities symbolized the mexica concept of atltlachinolli, or burnt water, which connoted warfarethe primary way in which the mexica acquired their power and wealth. Symbolic temple of aztec myth, religion and ritual. The templo mayor and the coyolxauhqui stone smarthistory. Its a relatively new attraction in as they didnt actually find it until around 30 years ago when some workers for an electricity company were digging some trenches. In this overlay, it becomes clear that the aztec designers of the templo mayor site in mexico city used composition principles first developed by toltec designers several centuries earlier. The illustration shows in the aztec templo mayor a visualization 317. Museo del templo mayor history museum in cuauhtemoc.
The templo mayor great temple was one of the main temples of the aztecs. The colonization and reconstruction of the city at the hands of the spanish led to the templo mayor mainly being forgotten about. Topped by twin temples dedicated to the war god huitzilopochtli and the rain god tlaloc it was a focal point of the aztec religion and very centre of the aztec world. The templo mayor was the largest and most important temple. Templo mayor remnants of the templo mayor, the principal pyramid of the mexica empire remain standing in the heart of downtown just off the zocalo. Twin stair pyramids have two temples and a double staircase at their base. Since then, archaeological evidence has combined with written records to. The templo mayor spanish for the greater temple was the main temple of the mexica peoples in their capital city of tenochtitlan, which is now mexico city. Construction of the templo mayor occurred in seven fragmentary stages, taking placed with each new aztec king. It was dedicated simultaneously to huitzilopochtli, god. It was in their capital city of tenochtitlan, which is now mexico city.
Its architectural style belongs to the late postclassic period of mesoamerica. Issuu is a digital publishing platform that makes it simple to publish magazines, catalogs, newspapers, books, and more online. The exhibits offer a snapshot of what life was like during the time of the aztec empire and is divided into eight areas. When the spaniards arrived in tenochtitlan in 1519, the aztec capitals main. The construction occurred on an island in the middle of lake texcoco, where the aztecs had established their capital city of tenochtitlan. Visit the onsite museum, which holds relics that archaeologists uncovered while exposing the ancient city. The mexica world view, that is, their beliefs about the origin and structure of the universe, based on their myths and roles played by the gods, were all sustained by philosophical and religious ideologym. The onsite museo del templo mayor included in the sites admission price houses a model of tenochtitlan and artifacts from the site, and gives a good overview of aztec, aka mexica, civilization, though with little signage in english, unlike the ruins. The temple was called the hueyi teocalli wei teokali in the nahuatl language. Remembering coyolxauhqui as a birthing text escholarship. Astronomical alignments at the templo mayor of tenochtitlan.
821 1325 1031 863 397 919 616 528 24 546 430 1170 56 512 915 1174 179 1523 273 1570 1004 1480 981 63 558 627 1314 961 1371 1125 1079 1548 1463 27 1423 1443 1340 294 250 994