Sacred Ruins, Mexico City Centre

Yesterday we took the metro to Zócalo, the main square of Mexico City, and once the centre of political and religious power in the Aztec capital city of Tenochtitlan. 

The ancient Aztec temple on the site, now called the Templo Mayor, was razed and built over by the Spanish Conquistadors and its location was lost until 1978. Only the base of the pyramid remains.

Above, Bill overlooks decorations of serpent heads and a wonderful writhing serpent.

Here's a view of the ruins with the Metropolitan Cathedral in the distance sitting on what had been the Aztec Sacred Precinct. The Spanish buildings were often built with the materials of the destroyed indigenous buildings.

Several of the decorations and offerings found on the temple site can be seen in place. Note the steep steps to the pyramids summit!

Leaning against the museum wall, John imagines the pyramid with its twin staircases leading to the two crowning temples dedicated to Huitzilopochtli, God of War, and Tlaloc, God of Rain and Agriculture.

At his feet is the sacred Ball Game Court. The ball game sounds quite exciting on its own, but the Aztecs added interest by beheading the losers. Stuccoed skulls of the losers decorate the court wall.

The skulls can also be found inside the stunning Museum of the Templo Mayor, which displays the artifacts found on the site.

Offerings like this box of figurines were found beneath the steps and platforms of the ruins.

These votive masks were found during the excavations between 1978 and 1982.

This stone knife with its decoration of eyes and teeth may have been used for cutting out the hearts of sacrificed enemy warriors.

These monumental ornaments (stylized snails, referring to the Aztec rain god, Tlaloc) were found after an earthquake destroyed some modern public buildings in 1985.

They decorated the rooftop of an elite school near the temple site. 

Bill took a liking to this costume

worn by one of the eagle warriors that stood guard on one of the staircases of the temple.

Eagles were a popular motif.

In 1978, an electric company uncovered this monumental disk, representing the dismembered body of the moon goddess, Coyolxauhqui, sister to the War God, Huitzilopochtli. Dismemberment was her punishment for rebelling against her brother. Its discovery sparked further excavations of the site.

An even more recent discovery, this monumental image of the Goddess of the Earth, Tlaltecuhtli, 

was found in 2006 and has been given pride of place in the museum.

Much smaller but equally wonderful is this ceramic block for printing textiles. John would like to see it used as a mould for chocolate.

And we loved this little deity dedicated to pulque, the oldest Mexican alcoholic drink. Pulque is made from the sap of the algave plant and called "the drink of the gods". It was once reserved for priests and nobles but has recently experienced a revival as a cocktail in Mexico City.

The most recent artifacts on display date  from Colonial Mexico. We loved this Catholic, silver pendant featuring a painting of a boy surrounded by flames

and these exquisite tiles -- Islamic crafts transferred to Spain and hence to the New World. The guide books are right -- don't miss the Museo Templo Mayor!