The Great Temple of the Aztecs: Treasures of Tenochtitlan (New Aspects of Antiquity)

The Aztecs have fascinated and horrified Westerners for centuries. After Cortes' extraordinary conquest of the New World's most powerful civilization in 1521, the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan, was levelled and its Great Temple demolished. Soon even the location of the old cult centre was lost - until 1978, when tunnelling for Mexico City's subway system unearthed clues that led to the rediscovery of the Great Temple and the most spectacular series of excavations ever conducted in Mexico. Professor Matos presents his personal account of his triumphant researches on the Great Temple: a giant pyramidal structure that had been rebuilt at least six times. The excavators discovered deposits associated with each phase containing offerings from all over the Aztec empire: jaguar skeletons, jade masks, obsidian knives, stone sculptures, effigy vessels.