Templo Mayor and Museum

 “Travel has made me more aware of me. I learn more about myself while on the road than anywhere else. It’s given me the I can make it happen attitude.”  Jessica Johnson

The Templo Mayor was one of the main temples of the Aztecs in the capital city of Tenochtitlan, which is now Mexico. The Templo Mayor dates back to 1325 and was destroyed by the Spanish in 1521. It lies to the northeast of the main plaza of Mexico City. After the Spanish conquered Tenochtitlan, the Templo Mayor, like most of the rest of the city, was taken apart and then covered over by the new Spanish city.

The Templo Mayor was not discovered until the late 19^th century and early 20^th century but was not fully excavated until 1978 when workers for the electric company were digging at a place in the city then known as the “island of the dogs” named such because when there was flooding, street dogs would gather there. They struck a pre-Hispanic monolith. This stone was a huge disk of over 3.25 meters (10.7 feet) in diameter, 30 centimeters (11.8 inches) thick and weighing 8.5 metric tons.

To excavate, thirteen buildings in this area had to be demolished. All the findings (7,000 pieces) are now housed in the Templo Mayor Museum.