ramids dedicated to Huizilopochtli, the god of fire, and Tlaloc, the raingod, the twin deities who dominated the Aztec cosmos.
|The Twin Pyramids on the West Side of the Site
The center of the archaeological site lies east of the Cathedral, and north of the National Palace, in the north-east corner of the Zocalo. This portion consists mainly of the large twin pyramids of Huizilopochtli and Tlaloc, standing side by side facing west, with broad central stairways ascending up the west sides. Only the tops of the pyramids are visible, at a level somewhat below the surrounding streets, most of the body of the massive mounds lies below ground. Looking from the pyramids to the south and west, there was an enormous ceremonial precinct, laid out on a grid, which contained many subsidiary pyramids, temples and palace platforms, around a huge central plaza with a round temple of Ehecatl, the god of wind, and the walled compounds of the jaguar and eagle warriors.
|Stairway topped by Serpent Head on South Side
Most of the buildings at the site lie well below the surface, and there have been extensive excavations and selective trenching, in order to explore the remains. This view is looking to the west on the south side of the double pyramid, where there is a subsidiary platform with altars and benches, and a monumental stone serpent head. The cone-shaped object in the center, which flares out towards the top, appears to have been an incense burner. In the background are the buildings of the central administrative district of Mexico City, which tower several stories above the level of the top of the ancient pyramids.
|Tzompantli, or Skullrack built into a Sidewall
Spanish accounts from the time of the conquest describe Aztec ceremonies and rituals as having been incredibly bloodthirsty, with human sacrifices performed by cutting the live heart out of the victim's chest with a dagger. One account claims that there were 50.000 victims in a single ceremonial sacrifice. While the logistics of such an event seem unimaginable, there is clearly some truth to these stories. There are several of these typical Aztec skullracks, rectangular frameworks lined with rows of human skulls, plastered over and built into the architecture, in the archaeological area of the Templo Major.
|Altar Platform on top of the Double Pyramid
This view is looking to the east at the top of the temple platform on the west side of the great double pyramids of Huizilopochtli and Tlaloc. According to the historical accounts, this is the place where the ritual human sacrifices would have been performed. The priests used ceremonial daggers of obsidian, to cut the beating hearts out of victims chests, putting them in the bowl of the Chac Mool statue at the center of the platform, while the blood of the victims ran down the sloping sides, stairways and terraces of the bright red pyramids.
|Monumental Basalt Statue of Coatlicue
The monumental basalt stone statue of Coatlicue, the goddess of death and the earth, was
discovered during excavations in central Mexico City in 1978. The statue was of solid stone,
and weighed 8 tons. It led to the unearthing and further excavation of the central ceremonial
district of Aztec Tenochtitlan, and the double pyramid that was it's main shrine.
Andreas Kultermann - email@example.com|
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