MEXICO 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