Templo Mayor

The Templo Mayor "Grand Temple or Major Temple" of the Aztecs was an incredible building, it was the central place of the city/island of Tenochtitlan. There are many accounts from the Spanish conquerors about it, and based on those descriptions—and a lot of archaeological research—it's possible today to have a vague idea of the splendor and magnificence of a place that was bigger and richer than the Emperor´s own palace. Just imagine that!

What you will find at this archaeological site is the mere remains of the basement of such a wonder or the ancient world, the reason is that the Spanish conquerors decided to destroy every trace of the temple to force the indigenous population to forget about their Gods in favor or Christianity. The stones used to build the Templo Mayor were used to construct the cathedral that you can see in front. All the incredibly detailed carved statues were sanded smooth and used as filling for the construction, and after many centuries chance made possible to find a lot of treasures hidden deep in the floor of the new city.

What you see in the museum is just a small, very small fraction of all the treasures of the Aztec Empire. Trying to imagine what is lost is mind-numbing.

Also you can find incredible pieces in the Anthropology Museum of Chapultepec. Those are not from the Templo Mayor, but of the general area of the old Downtown Tenochtitlan, which was full of temples and palaces.

Quick Tips:

If you are going to visit, reserve many hours of your time in the crazy paced city. There are so many things to see that you will have a hard time trying to be at 10 places at the same time.

Bring a wide rimmed hat and use sunscreen (less than 10 is useless, go for a 15 or 30) as even in winter you can get a nice sunburn for staying a couple hours watching the outdoor area of the site.

Some people recommend visiting the museum first so you have a better idea of what are the ruins you see, is up to you. Just be careful not to exit the site once you get off the museum and make it clear to the guards.

You will find a nice bookstore before the entrance/ticket booth. It is better to get back there after you finish your tour in the museum, but it will be tricky as you don´t use the same streets once you reach the exit.

All museums in Mexico are closed on Mondays so plan carefully, only the Pyramids of Teotihuacan are open that day. Take advantage.

Best Way To Get Around:

The museum is located on a side to the Cathedral and just half a block from the main square of the city "El Zócalo," or "Plaza de la Constitución;" the second name is not very common, so stick to the first if you are arriving by taxi or are asking for directions.

There is a very convenient subway station (Zocalo, of course), just try not to use the subway during rush hours (inbound from 6 to 9:30am, and outbound after 5:30pm).

Lots of "Microbuses" arrive here, Zócalo would be in the windshield, but I don´t recommend them as their not the safest way of transportation, but if you are the adventure lover just don´t wear expensive jewelry and take good care of your wallet, don´t carry your passport with you, another kind of official ID is better (drivers license for example).

If you are lodged at the touristic zone, you have a great option, use the Turibus, a double-decker red bus that leaves from Auditorio Nacional every 30 minutes and for a flat daily fee you can board and unboard at any stop for the whole day. This will take you along Reforma Avenue, Avenida Juarez and Av. Madero rigth to the Zócalo.

Once you pass all the amazing labyrinth that is the basement of the pyramid, you arrive at the building constructed in order to protect all the treasures found during the excavation. Here you can rent a self-guide audio apparatus, you push a button and a voice in your language will explain the major aspects of the artifacts you will see in front of you (the main languages are available: English, French, German, Italian and I think Japanese but haven´t checked lately).In the ground level you will find a model of what the city used to be, that way you can have a vague idea of what the Spanish conquerors destroyed—some truly grandiose buildings and statues.

The exterior of the museum has lots of things to view, and you have yet to enter the building.The entrances bring you to the remains of the actual Templo Mayor (Mayor Temple) of the Aztecs, you will only find the "shells" of seven successive temples, and of those only the basements, except for temple two of which yon can see the top and its sculptures (the real ones).Many years ago, before the building of the museum there were some little ruins unearthed, but the reason to renovate the excavations was the digging of a trench for a new pipe for the power company, the worker that was digging found a carved stone in the hole he was making, he immediately realized the importance of his finding and the history changed since then. What he found was the Coyoxahuqui, a huge carved stone representing the sister of a deity that fell from the grace Huitchilopoztli and was sacrificed.The stone stood at the corner of the temple and now is the main attraction of the museum. In the original place you will find a replica in order to protect the original inside the museum.You will pass between the decoration of the last stage (the one the Spanish found) which include serpent heads and eagles mainly, as the guardians of the temple were the Eagle Warriors, they had their ward house at the base of the pyramid.Also along your tour, you will find some temples, one of them the Red Temple and also a wall full of skulls, the Tzompantli. The skulls are carved out of rock, but in the time of the Aztecs they had a similar display but with real skull taken from their captives in war.