What does the Templo Mayor represent?
What does the Templo Mayor represent?
The Templo Mayor or Great Temple (called Hueteocalli by the Aztecs) dominated the central sacred precinct of the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan. 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.
How was Templo Mayor made?
While digging near the main plaza, they found a finely carved stone monolith that displayed a dismembered and decapitated woman. This monolith led to the discovery of the Templo Mayor, the main Mexica temple located in the sacred precinct of the former Mexica capital, known as Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City).
Is the Templo Mayor a pyramid?
Fray Bernardino de Sahagún reported that the Sacred Precinct had 78 buildings; the Templo Mayor towered above all of them. The pyramid was composed of four sloped terraces with a passage between each level, topped by a great platform that measured approximately 80 by 100 meters (262 by 328 feet).
What did the Spaniard conquistadors build over the Templo Mayor?
The Spanish conquistadors destroyed Tenochtitlan (with the Templo Mayor included) and built their own city on top of the ruins of the once great Aztec city. Today, archaeologists and historians continue to make discoveries of the old Aztec city (including the Templo Mayor) during excavations in modern Mexico City.
When was the Templo Mayor destroyed?
1521
After the Spanish Conquest in 1521, the Templo Mayor was destroyed, and what did survive remained buried. The stones were reused to build structures like the Cathedral in the newly founded capital of the Viceroyalty of New Spain (1521-1821).
How old is Templo Mayor?
696c. 1325
Templo Mayor Museum/Age
Why did the Teotihuacan Empire fall?
It’s unclear why Teotihuacan collapsed. Around 600 A.D., major buildings were deliberately burned and artworks and religious sculptures were destroyed, suggesting an uprising from the poor against the ruling elite.
Where was the Templo Mayor located in Tenochtitlan?
Model of the sacred precinct in Tenochtitlan (National Anthropological Museum, Mexico City) (photo (edited), Steve Cadman, CC BY-SA 2.0) Templo Mayor (reconstruction), Tenochtitlan, 1375–1520 C.E. Located in the sacred precinct at the heart of the city, the Templo Mayor was positioned at the center of the Mexica capital and thus the entire empire.
Who was involved in the Templo Mayor Project?
From 1978 to 1982, specialists directed by archeologist Eduardo Matos Moctezuma worked on the project to excavate the Temple. Initial excavations found that many of the artifacts were in good enough condition to study. Efforts coalesced into the Templo Mayor Project, which was authorized by presidential decree.
Where are the serpents in the Templo Mayor temple?
Serpent balustrades adorn the base of the temple of Huitzilopochtli, and two undulating serpents flank the stairs that led to the base of the Templo Mayor as well. But by far the most famous object decorating the Huiztilopochtli temple is the Coyolxauhqui monolith, found at the base of the stairs.
Why are the Templo Mayor and the Coyolxauhqui stone important?
Paired together on the Templo Mayor, the two deities symbolized the Mexica concept of atl-tlachinolli, or burnt water, which connoted warfare—the primary way in which the Mexica acquired their power and wealth. The Huitzilopochtli Temple. In the center of the Huitzilopochtli temple was a sacrificial stone.