Templo Mayor

The site of the main Aztec temple of Tenochtitlan, it was destroyed by Spanish conquistadors in 1521, who then promptly erected the Cathedral roughly over it – but not quite. Centuries later, nearly completely forgotten, its actual location was discovered by accident in 1978 when electrical workers found a piece of a large stone disc depicting the goddess Coyolxauhqui. This set off a few furious years of archaeological digging, resulting in a rather surprising (and extremely significant) discovery that nested underneath the original Aztec temple was six distinct smaller, older temples. You can see each layer walking through the dig site.

• history
• family

Address

C/ Seminario 8

Getting there

NE corner of the Zócalo

Hours

Tue-Sun 09:00-17:00

Price

M$59, free for children under 12 and students with valid ID

Website

templomayor.inah.gob.mx (opens in a new tab)