Templo Mayor

The Templo Mayor is located at the site where the Aztecs received their prophetic vision promised by their 'god' Huitzilopochtli - of an eagle perched upon a nopal (prickly pear) cactus devouring a snake. Upon the site the Aztecs erected a pyramid with two temples, one to Huitzilopochtli and one to the agricultural rain god Tlaloc.

In fact the pyramid is a representation of Snake Mountain and stones representing the slain mother and sister of the god of war, Huizilopochtli are at the bottom of the pyramid.

According to a legend recorded by the Colonial Spanish friar and ethnographer Bernardino de Sahagún, there once lived an old woman named Coatlicue, or Lady Serpent Skirt, together with her daughter, Coyolxauhqui, and her four hundred sons at Coatepec (Snake Mountain).

One day as Coatlicue was attending to her chores sweeping the summit of Snake Mountain; she gathered up a mysterious ball of feathers and placed them in the sash of her belt. Miraculously, she found herself with child.

But when her daughter Coyolxauhqui ('Koh-yowl-shau-kwee'), saw what had happened she was enraged and shreiked to her siblings 'My brothers she has dishonored us! Who is the cause of what is in her womb? We must kill this wicked one (mother) who is with child!' When Coatlicue heard what her children were plotting she was frightened. But the child (Huitzilopochtli) who was in her womb called to her saying: 'Have no fear mother for I know what to do'.

The 400 sons each went forth. Each wielding his weapons and Coyolxauhqui led them. At last they scaled the heights of Coatepec. At this point there are many variations to the story but it appears that when Coyolxauhqui and her four hundred brothers reached the summit of Coatepec they immediately slew their mother, Coatlicue. When they cut off her head the blood spurt forth from her neck in the form of two gigantic serpents. Then Huitzilopochtli whose name means 'hummingbird on the left', was born in full battle array with his shield and spear thrower. Suddenly he pierced Coyolxauhqui with a spear and then he struck off her head. Her body then twisted and turned as it fell to the ground below Snake Mountain. Then the sun god, Huitzilopochtli took on the four hundred brothers and slew each of them.