Aztec Templo Mayor

Timeline

1. c. 1325–1420Central plaza of Tenochtitlan · TenochtitlanThe early pyramid was smaller in scale, with the rain god worshipped on the south slope and the war god on the north; after each major festival the old temple was often encased in a new shell, producing the layered structure seen archaeologically.
2. 1421–1430Templo Mayor precinct · TenochtitlanDuring the reign of Itzcoatl and his successors, the temple precinct and surrounding subsidiary buildings were continually expanded; human sacrifice and the sacrifice of war captives reinforced military conquest, and the temple became the central stage of imperial religious ritual.
3. 1431–1521Templo Mayor precinct · TenochtitlanUnder later rulers, especially Moctezuma II, the temple reached its greatest scale; in 1521 the Spanish destroyed the pyramid, its stones used to build the cathedral, and in 1978 the accidental discovery of a giant stone sculpture during electrical work prompted systematic archaeology.