How was Templo Mayor destroyed?
The temple was surrounded by a serpent wall and the entire structure would have been brightly painted. You can still see many of the original colors today. In 1521 CE, the Spanish destroyed Templo Mayor to make way for a new cathedral. The ruins were buried and largely forgotten until their rediscovery in the 1970s.
Why is the Aztec Templo Mayor no longer in existence?
The Templo Mayor today
After the Spanish Conquest in 1521, the Templo Mayor was destroyed, and what did survive remained buried. The stones were reused to build structures like the Cathedral in the newly founded capital of the Viceroyalty of New Spain (1521-1821).
What was the Spanish motivation for destroying the Templo Mayor at Tenochtitlan?
The Spanish version of the incident claims the conquistadors intervened to prevent a ritual of human sacrifice in the Templo Mayor; the Aztec version says the Spaniards were enticed into action by the gold the Aztecs were wearing, prompting an Aztec rebellion against the orders of Moctezuma.
How was the Templo Mayor rebuilt by different Aztec rulers?
The process of expanding an Aztec temple was typically completed by new structures being built over earlier ones, using the bulk of the former as a base for the latter. The Aztecs began construction of Templo Mayor sometime after 1325, and the temple was rebuilt six times.
How was Tenochtitlan destroyed?
The Spanish conquistadors, aided by an alliance of Indigenous peoples, laid siege to the Aztec capital for 93 days, until the Mexica surrendered on August 13, 1521. A great deal of Tenochtitlan was destroyed in the fighting, or was looted, burned, or destroyed after the surrender.
When and how was the Templo Mayor discovered and excavated?
Originally Templo Mayor was located in the center of the great plaza of Tenochtitlan. The site was discovered in the modern era by electricians in 1978. After their discovery archaeologists began excavation, and those findings are located at the museum on site.
How many times was the Templo Mayor rebuilt?
Work on the principal temple – Huei Teocalli in the Aztec’s Nahuatl language, or Templo Mayor in Spanish – began soon after the foundation of Tenochtitlan. It was to be rebuilt six times before the arrival of the conquistador Hernán Cortés in 1519. Each time it was rebuilt it grew in scale.
Why is the Templo Mayor unique?
The Templo Mayor (Main Temple) in Tenochtitlan, capital of the mighty Aztec empire, was located in the center of the city, where the most important ritual and ceremonial activities in Aztec life took place.
What was found in Templo Mayor?
Quote from video:
What was on top of Templo Mayor?
A Catholic cathedral was built on top of what had been the Templo Mayor and its sacred precinct. Life marched on as New Spain grew and turned into Mexico. Tenochtitlan and the Templo Mayor were all but forgotten, as were Aztec gods and culture.
What God was Templo Mayor for?
Huitzilopochtli
The Templo Mayor was a 60 metre high architectural mountain dedicated to The Gods TlaloC & Huitzilopochtli.
What was found in Templo Mayor?
In 1978, electrical workers in Mexico City came across a remarkable discovery. While digging near the main plaza, they found a finely carved stone monolith that displayed a dismembered and decapitated woman.
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