The Templo Mayor was the main temple of Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec, or Mexica, empire, standing in the centre of what is now Mexico City. According to tradition, the Mexica founded their city on an island in Lake Texcoco after a long migration, guided by a sign from their god Huitzilopochtli. The temple was a stepped pyramid with two shrines on top, one to Huitzilopochtli, god of war and the sun, and one to Tlaloc, god of rain and agriculture, and it was enlarged several times by successive rulers. Spanish conquistadors destroyed it after 1521 and built their cathedral nearby. Workers rediscovered its remains in 1978, and excavations have revealed rich offerings and the Coyolxauhqui stone.
Before and after
- 1324Mansa Musa's pilgrimage to Mecca
- 8 January 1324Death of Marco Polo
- 1325Construction of Khotyn Fortress
- 1325Birth of Hafez
- 1325Origins of Templo Mayor
- 13 March 1325Founding of Mexico City
- 14 June 1325Ibn Battuta sets out from Tangier
- 1330Construction of Riga Castle
- from 1331 to 1333Gümmenenkrieg
More in Civilizations & archaeology
- from 618 CE to 907 CETang dynasty
- 637 CEConstruction of Potala Palace
- from 750 CE to 1258Abbasid Caliphate
- 778 CEConstruction of Kiyomizu-dera
- from 29 July 1299 to 17 November 1922Ottoman Empire
- 1460Construction of Topkapı Palace
The era
This moment belongs to the Medieval world (500 CE to 1500 CE), kingdoms, faiths and trade routes. You can also browse everything in the 14th century.