Templo Mayor, the Aztec’s main temple, marks the spot where the ancient city of Tenochtitlán (present-day Mexico City) was founded in 1325. The Great Temple, built to honor the god of war Huitzilopochtli and the rain god Tláloc, was destroyed by Spanish conquerors in 1521.

Happy Accident

Archaeologists long knew of the existence of the buried ruins but excavation didn’t begin in earnest until 1978, when electric company workers chanced upon a 15th-century monolith of Coyolxauhqui, Huitzilopochtli’s sister. Since then, more than 7,000 artifacts have been unearthed, many of which you can see in the onsite Museo del Templo Mayor (Templo Mayor Museum).

The Origins

Experts believe construction of Templo Mayor’s twin temples and surrounding precinct began around 1325. Over the course of several millennia the main temple was rebuilt six times up until 1519, when conquistadors led by Hérnan Cortés leveled the sacred structure.