The Aztec Templo Mayor: Urban Archaeology in modern Mexico City
Leonardo López Luján, Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, Mexico City
Informal talk for students, University of California at Berkeley
Berkeley, March, 2016
Abstract. The Proyecto Templo Mayor of the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia was created in 1978, as a consequence of the discovery of a monolith depicting Coyolxauhqui, the Aztec moon goddess. Since then, other impressive public monuments have come to light in downtown Mexico City, in the area occupied by the sacred precinct of Tenochtitlan. Archaeologists recently uncovered the largest Aztec sculpture ever found, that of the earth goddess Tlaltecuhtli. After an overview on the history of archaeology in Mexico City, this lecture will focus on the new Tlaltecuhtli stone, undertaking a formal, iconographic, and symbolic analysis in order to unveil its functions and meanings. The exceptionally rich offerings buried under this sculpture will also be described. Finally, the possible presence of a royal tomb at the foot of the Great Temple will be discussed.
Leonardo López Luján is a Mexican archaeologist and the current director of the Templo Mayor project of National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH). He specializes in the politics, religion, and art of Pre-Columbian urban societies in Central Mexico. In recent years he has also devoted part of his time to research on the history of archaeology. Throughout his academic life, he has held many prestigious offices with the various Mexican Academies and has served as a visiting professor at Université de Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Sapienza-Università di Roma, École pratique des hautes études in Paris, and the Francisco Marroquín University of Guatemala. He has been a guest researcher at such institutions as Princeton, the Musée de l'Homme, Dumbarton Oaks, and the Institut d’études avancées de Paris. Since 1988, he has been a full-time researcher at INAH. In 2013, he was elected correspondent member of the British Academy and honorary member of the Society of Antiquaries of London for his contributions in Mesoamerican studies. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Archaeology from Mexico’s National School of Anthropology and History