TEMPLO MAYOR

The monumental Aztec construction, of which unfortunately only vestiges remain, is a must-see during your visit to Mexico. In the Aztec belief, this place was none other than the center of the universe. When Hernán Cortés razed the city, he destroyed the Teocalli temple: the center of Aztec life in Mexico. The first temple was erected in 1375 and expanded several times. Each expansion was accompanied by sacrifices of captured soldiers. Almost nothing remains of the seventh and last version of the temple dating from around 1502. However, the "techcatl", the Mesoamerican human sacrifice altar, can be seen in front of the sanctuary of Huizilopochtli, the deity to whom offerings were dedicated. Also note the stone sculpture depicting 240 skeletons and the bas-reliefs showing military processions. The site is part of the historic center of Mexico City and has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987, when the museum adjacent to the Templo Mayor was inaugurated. It gives an extraordinary insight into Aztec civilization: warfare practices and death ceremonies, trade and government, but also Tláloc, god of Rain and Fertility, and Huizilopochtli, god of War and lord of the Templo Mayor. Finally, many believe that the temple is located at the exact spot where the Aztecs saw their symbolic eagle perched on a cactus with a snake in its beak: the emblem of present-day Mexico.