Templo Mayor

The Templo Mayor was the main temple of Tenochtitlan, the Mexica capital that lies beneath today's historic centre. Known in Nahuatl as the Huey Teocalli, or great temple, it was a stepped pyramid about 60 metres high topped by two shrines, one to Huitzilopochtli, god of war, and one to Tlaloc, god of rain. The Spanish destroyed it after 1521 and built over the area, and the Metropolitan Cathedral now covers part of the old sacred precinct.

The site was rediscovered by accident. On 21 February 1978, electricity company workers digging in the area struck a carved stone disc more than three metres across showing the moon goddess Coyolxauhqui. Excavations followed from 1978 to 1982 under the archaeologist Eduardo Matos Moctezuma, and thirteen buildings were cleared. What they revealed was not one temple but seven, built one over another from around 1325 onwards, which is why the ruins look like a set of nested staircases and platforms.

A route through the open-air zone takes you past the remains of the different phases, including eight stone standard-bearers, a chacmool and the House of the Eagle Warriors. The site museum, designed by Pedro Ramírez Vázquez and opened in 1987, is the other half of the visit. Its eight halls cover ritual and sacrifice, tribute and trade, Huitzilopochtli, Tlaloc, plants and animals, farming on chinampas and the history of the excavation. The first hall is devoted to Coatlicue and Coyolxauhqui; the great stone originally lay at the foot of the Huitzilopochtli side of the pyramid, which symbolised Coatepec, the mountain where the god was said to be born. At the time of writing the temporary exhibition was "Cuauhtémoc. Historia y memoria".

Plan on about two hours for the ruins and museum together. The site is open from 9:00 to 17:00, Tuesday to Sunday, and is closed on Mondays. Much of the visit is outdoors on walkways above the excavations, so a hat and water help on sunny days. The museum offers guided visits, workshops and a film club, and runs Wednesday morning visits for children with special needs.

The entrance is at Seminario 8, on the block between Seminario and Justo Sierra, with the Zócalo just to the south-west. The Metropolitan Cathedral, which was built over the western half of the old sacred precinct, is next door, so the two make a natural pairing for a morning in the historic centre. The whole area forms part of the Historic Centre of Mexico City, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.