Templo Mayor, Mexico-City
Main temple at the ceremonial center of Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec empire.
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In the foreground:
Huehuetéotl-Tlaloc
Tenochtitlan (Mexico-City), Templo Mayor
1325 - 1521 (?)
Stone
66 x 57,3 x 56 cm
Museo del Templo Mayor, Mexico-City
The Mexica, resp. the Aztecs, copied typical forms of expression of Teotihuacan adapting them to their cult, like for example the Old Fire god. In this case, the position of the hands is different, and attributes of the rain god Tlaloc have been added (canine teeth, rings around the eyes).
Photo from the Teotihuacan Exhibition
in Berlin, 2010
Background left:
Sculpture of the Lord of the Underworld
Teotihuacan, western square opposite the Pyramid of the Sun
Classical Period, late Tlamimilolpa-and early Xolalpan phase, 300-550 A.D.
Stone, stucco, pigments
125 x 103 x 25 cm
Museo Nacional de Antropología, Mexico-City
It is assumed that this figure represents the victory of Quetzalcoátl over Mictlantecutli, the Lord of the Underworld, closely related to human sacrifices and the "Death of the Sun".
© Photo: Haupt & Binder
Main temple at the ceremonial center of Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec empire.