Tenochtitlan is the name of an ancient city, the capital of the Aztecs, destroyed in the 16th century by the conquerors — Spanish conquistadors led by Hernan Cortez. Today, only ruins remain of Tenochtitlan. They lie almost in the very center of the modern capital of Mexico City. Everyone who visits them is amazed at how big and beautiful this ancient city was in its heyday.
History paragraph
Tenochtitlan was formed in 1325 in the middle of the salt Lake Texcoco. Why in the middle of the lake? Everything is extremely simple: so the Aztecs were commanded by the god of the sun and war Huitzilopochtli. It took a lot of work to build a whole settlement on the water. Gradually the city grew. Dams and bridges, canals and lakes appeared in it, along which people moved by means of boats — almost like in modern Venice. About 300 temples were built by God-fearing Aztecs. In order for the city to flourish, they regularly offered human sacrifices.
The second century of Tenochtitlan’s existence was coming to an end. Nothing foreshadowed trouble, as quite unexpectedly the city was attacked by an army of Spanish conquistadors. For several months, the Aztecs defended themselves, but they could not resist the onslaught of the conquerors. The great city has fallen. Local residents were destroyed, and buildings were destroyed. Nevertheless, the ruins of Tenochtitlan have survived to this day. Today they are one of the most popular tourist destinations in all of Mexico.
Lower Town
The best preserved is the Lower City, built by the Aztecs underground and not discovered by the Spanish invaders. The main attraction of the legendary Tenochtitlan is a temple with an altar to the god Tsompantli.
An unusual material was used by the Aztecs in the construction of this altar — stone skulls in the amount of 240 pieces. Images of skulls, by the way, can be seen on other ruins. The people of Tenochtitlan were obsessed with them. The skulls, in their opinion, symbolized the other world.
How to view
Today it is best to explore the legendary Aztec city by tourist bus. A ticket for it costs about 250 MXN. The bus follows in a circle and makes stops near the most important attractions, and there are a lot of them here. But the temple complex Templo Mayor, discovered by archaeologists only in the 17th century, is of the greatest interest from tourists.
The ruins of Tenochtitlan are located very close to the center of modern Mexico City — just five hundred meters away. Visiting the ancient city is completely free. To get here, you can take the metro and get to El Zocalo Square. It is she who is surrounded on all sides by the remains of the ancient city.
The prices on the page are for May 2023.