Templo Mayor

The Templo Mayor, in Mexico City

The Templo Mayor is the great sacred temple of the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan, whose vestiges, brought to light in the heart of Mexico City, testify to the power of the pre-Columbian civilisation. The Mexico City audio-guided tour stops here, with respect, to evoke this pyramid founded in 1375 at the very place of a prophecy, a sacred place dedicated to the gods of war and rain.

The sacred temple of Tenochtitlan

Here you are in front of a true vestige of one of the principal monuments of the city of Tenochtitlan, built by the Aztecs in the fourteenth century. This temple, that had the shape of a pyramid sixty-five metres high, was built in 1375 at the very place where a prophecy is said to have led the Aztecs to settle, on these lands that formerly bordered the lake Texcoco. At their arrival, they are said to have glimpsed an eagle holding in its beak a serpent, the very image described in the prophecy of their god of war. They needed no more to found here one of the most powerful cities of the region. It is fitting to evoke this place with respect: it was a sacred sanctuary, at the summit of which stood two twin temples, one dedicated to the god of war, the other to the god of rain and water, and where the great religious ceremonies of the Aztec people took place. By exploring this unique archaeological site, brought to light from 1978 thanks to the discovery of a great monolithic sculpture, you walk on more than seven centuries of history, in the heart of the most famous of the pre-Columbian civilisations. An adjoining museum keeps the innumerable objects and offerings found on the spot. A sacred site and an Aztec memory, the Templo Mayor is discovered with respect.

What to see

Here you discover, with respect, the vestiges of the great sacred temple of the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan, a pyramid founded in 1375 at the place of a prophecy, the eagle devouring a serpent; a sanctuary surmounted by two temples dedicated to the gods of war and rain, the site, brought to light from 1978, is doubled by a museum keeping the objects and offerings found. The Templo Mayor is a sacred site in the heart of Mexico City. It is a stop to be discovered with respect.

Practical information

The Templo Mayor lies just beside the cathedral, in the heart of the historic centre of Mexico City, reachable on foot or by metro. The archaeological site and its museum can be visited according to the hours in force, which vary; access is paying. It is best to enquire before coming and to explore the site with respect.

What is the Templo Mayor of Mexico City?

It was the great sacred temple of the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan, a pyramid founded in 1375 at the very place of a prophecy, there where the Aztecs are said to have seen an eagle devouring a serpent; at its summit stood two temples dedicated to the gods of war and rain. Its vestiges, brought to light from 1978, and an adjoining museum are discovered in the heart of Mexico City, with respect.

Where is the Templo Mayor in Mexico City?

In the heart of the historic centre of Mexico City, just beside the metropolitan cathedral, in Mexico.