Altar Found in the Heart of Mexico City Used by Aztec
People for Human SacrificeMEXICO CITY - 10/04/2006 - The Aztec people
would have used an altar like this one found last weekend
in downtown Mexico City for human sacrifice. This altar
and an 11 foot long slab from the 15th century, part of
the Templo Mayor pyramid complex, would have served in
rituals performed by Aztec people, probably priests. The
Aztec people were conquered and the Templo Mayor was
destroyed by the Spanish conquistadores in 1521 to use as
building materials for their capital. The altar features
a frieze of Tlaloc, the rain god of the Aztec people, and
the slab may be covering the entrance to a subterranean
chamber. The slab is not fully excavated. The remains of
the Templo Mayor were only discovered in 1978 when
electricity workers found an 8 ton carving of a goddess
sacred to the Aztec people. The Tlaloc altar is the first
major find in 28 years.
Brenda Harness, Art Historian
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