When hubby and I spent half a day in Mexico City four years ago, we glimpsed the ruins of Templo Mayor, the Aztec “Great Temple” from street level, but this time we wanted to get a closer look. Just a ten minute walk from our hotel in the Centro Histórico district, the temple once dominated the central sector of the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan. Destroyed following the Spanish Conquest, many of its stones were used in the construction of the imposing Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven. The remainder of the ruins gradually disappeared beneath, first a garbage dump, and later 19th century colonial buildings. It wasn’t until 1978 when electrical workers happened upon an 8-tonne stone-disc carving of the Aztec goddess, Coyolxauhqui,  that the decision was made to demolish those colonial buildings and begin the excavation which continues today. A fenced pathway allows visitors to walk through the site and see close up what remains of the structures that once stood on the site.

Amazingly, some pieces, including two giant undulating serpents, have retained some of their original colour through the centuries.

Over the years, the Great Temple underwent many changes and expansions. The main platform and part of the stairway of the great pyramid that was constructed during the reign of Moctezuma I from 1440 to 1469 have been conserved.

Though not as big or as detailed, these stone figures reminded me a bit of the terracotta warriors that we saw in Xian, China.

Tláloc, the rain god was worshipped by the early Mesoamerican people. This brightly painted chac-mool figure holding a basin was located on the platform of a temple dedicated to Tláloc. Dating back to approximately 1350 AD, it is the oldest piece that has been found at the Great Temple thus far.

Making our way around the Templo Mayor complex, we came to what was known as the House of the Eagles.

This is the best preserved portion of the temple area where we can see the stairways, porticos, and individual rooms.

In the next photo, you can see the present day cathedral in the background. At 60 metres high, it is only 15 metres higher than the ancient temple at the time of the conquest in 1521. I’m sure that the circular structure in the foreground had a different purpose in ancient times, but today people toss coins into it and I presume make wishes as they do so. As I tossed my coin into the centre circle, my wish was that I would have the opportunity to return to Mexico again in the future!

In addition to the ruins, the Templo Mayor complex includes a four storey indoor museum that houses many artifacts found at the site. Unlike the outdoor portion, however, there is no English signage inside and since we were short on time, we only briefly checked out the first floor. I’ll finish this post with a few of the pieces that we saw there.