Lots was going on in Mexico City long before the Spanish stormed in. At the center of modern Mexico City at the heart of what’s referred to as the historical center (Zocalo) stood a great Aztec temple. Dating back to 14th century and signifying an important lost culture, the sight is now a UNESCO heritage site. The Templo Mayor museum will allow you to walk between ruins of this once magnificent temple and imagine all that was lost. The Spanish did a heck of a job turning the temple into a pile of stones, so to fully appreciate the place you’ll either need a good tour guide or a decent book to explain what stood where and what. There are a few websites that will also offer ‘virtual tours’ to show you the grandeur of this place.
The Templo Mayor is just behind the Metro Cathedral and a block from Zocalo and the Constitution Plaza…
With a number of other historical sights and museums of the historic center…
Wikipedia has a good intro to the great temple:
The Templo Mayor (Great Temple) was one of the main temples of the Aztecs in their capital city of Tenochtitlan, which is now Mexico City. Its architectural style belongs to the late Postclassic period of Mesoamerica. The temple was dedicated simultaneously to two gods, Huitzilopochtli, god of war, and Tlaloc, god of rain and agriculture, each of which had a shrine at the top of the pyramid with separate staircases. The spire in the center of the image to the right was devoted to Quetzalcoatl in his form as the wind god, Ehecatl. The Great Temple devoted to Huiztilopochtli and Tlaloc, measuring approximately 100 by 80 m (328 by 262 ft) at its base, dominated the Sacred Precinct. Construction of the first temple began sometime after 1325, and it was rebuilt six times after that. The temple was destroyed by the Spanish in 1521. The modern-day archeological site lies just to the northeast of the Zocalo, or main plaza of Mexico City, in the block between Seminario and Justo Sierra streets.
Let’s go in and have a look…
Location:
Quite remarkable that this is still there are the center of Mexico City. Although it’s not intact, there’s still enough here for an introduction to the pre-Spanish Mexican cultures to get you started. Might be a good idea to visit here after visiting the The National Museum of Anthropology.