Enjoy a complete visit of the last vestiges of Mexico City’s pre-Hispanic heritage, get to know the Museum of Templo Mayor, where the Aztec empire was once seated and later demolished by the Spanish conquerors to build the colonial city with the same stones of the old temples.
After a briefing on what you will see on this tour and in order that you appreciate the evolution of Mexico City’s Historic Center, you will take a small walk in one of the oldest streets of the city, under which lay the remains of the ancient Aztec city.
You will also make a brief stop at the Former Archbishop’s Palace, where you will enjoy a view to one of the archaeological windows that show part of the vestiges of the city.
Templo Mayor (Spanish for “Main Temple”) was one of the main temples of the Aztecs in their capital city of Tenochtitlan, which is now Mexico City. Its architectural style belongs to the late Postclassic period of Mesoamerica. The temple was dedicated simultaneously to two gods: Huitzilopochtli, god of war, and Tlaloc, god of rain and agriculture, each of which had a shrine at the top of the pyramid with separate staircases.
Construction of the first temple began sometime after 1325, and it was rebuilt six times. The temple was destroyed by the Spanish in 1521 to make way for the new cathedral. Today, the archeological site lies just to the northeast of the Zocalo, or main plaza of Mexico City, in the block between Seminario and Justo Sierra streets.
The site is part of the Historic Center of Mexico City, which was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987.
Bilingual Guide
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