ARCHAEOLOGY
In
Mexico City you can find archaeological
ruins of the Mexica
culture (more commonly known as the Aztec culture). At these places, and in their museums,
you can learn more about the mysteries
of the Aztecs?
cosmo-vision and their customs,
some of which
persist in the capital today.
Templo Mayor ? Located in downtown Mexico City at 8 Seminario Street. This is
a small archaeological zone where you
can see the remains of the
Aztecs? Grand Temple, the most important
building of Tenochtitlan (the old Aztec capital now known as Mexico
City). The site has a museum that houses
objects found during excavation and restoration. The Aztecs built
the temple in honor of their gods Tlaloc
and Huitzilopochtli. Open Tuesday through
Sunday from 10:00 to 5:00.
Tlatelolco ? Located in the center of
the city, on Eje Central Lazaro Cardenas, Col. Nonoalco-Tlatelolco. Considered the sister city
of Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec empire.
The base of a main temple still stands at this
site, similar to that of the
Templo Mayor. There is also a round temple that was built
to the honor the god of
wind. The pre-Hispanic constructions
form part of a group of
architectural structures known as the Plaza de las Tres
Culturas (Three Cultures Square), which is where you?ll
also find colonial building la Iglesia de Santiago Tlatelolco
(the Church of Santiago Tlatelolco) and a housing complex.
Cuicuilco ? Located in south Mexico City
at 156 Avenida Insurgentes Sur and
Anillo Pereferico, Tlalpan District. This is one of
the oldest pre-Hispanic urban
zones in Mexico. Here you?ll find
the preserved ruins of several
religious and residential buildings, as well as the remains
of a water works system. One
of the most
interesting ruins is a round terraced
pyramid with five levels, considered
the first attempt by Mexico?s pre-Hispanic civilization
to create a relationship between religion and the
cosmos.
