11. Templo Mayor of Tenochtitlán (Mexico City, Mexico)
At the heart of modern Mexico City, remnants of the great Aztec Templo Mayor provide evidence of a thriving metropolis before European contact. Excavated temples and ceremonial platforms shed light on Aztec religious life. The Templo Mayor was the main temple of the Mexica people 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 called the huey teocalli in the Nahuatl language and 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 Templo Mayor was approximately 100 by 80 m (330 by 260 ft) at its base, dominated a Sacred Precinct, and was rebuilt seven times after its initial construction. Today, the Templo Mayor Archaeological Site and Museum present more than 3,000 important artifacts of Mexica culture, including offerings, burials, and objects from the colonial occupation. (mexicocity).
