Editing Tenochtitlan (section)

===Ruins===
[[File:Templo Mayor in Mexico-Tenochtitlan 16th century (illustration 1900).jpg|thumb|upright|The ''Templo Mayor'' in [[Mexico-Tenochtitlan]], the Aztec capital.]]
[[File:Templo Mayor 2015 001.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Templo Mayor]] of Mexico-Tenochtitlan ruins.]]
[[File:Templo Mayor 2007.JPG|thumb|upright|The ruins of the Templo Mayor]]
[[Image:Fundacion Tenochtitlan.jpg|thumb|left|upright|''Fundación de México'' (The foundation of Mexico) – Tenochtitlán by [[Roberto Cueva del Río]]]]

Tenochtitlan's main temple complex, the [[Templo Mayor]], was dismantled and the central district of the Spanish colonial city was constructed on top of it. The great temple was destroyed by the Spanish during the construction of a cathedral. The location of the Templo Mayor was rediscovered in the early 20th century, but major excavations did not take place until 1978–1982, after utility workers came across a massive stone disc depicting the nude dismembered body of the moon goddess [[Coyolxauhqui]].  The disc is {{convert|3.25|m|ftin|sp=us}} in diameter, and is held at the Templo Mayor Museum.<ref>{{cite book|last=Snow|first=Dean R.|title=Archaeology of Native North America|year=2010|publisher=Prentice Hall|location=Boston|isbn=978-0-13-615686-4}}</ref>

The ruins, constructed over seven periods, were built on top of each other.  The resulting weight of the structures caused them to sink into the sediment of Lake Texcoco; the ruins now rest at an angle instead of horizontally.

Mexico City's [[Zócalo]], the [[Plaza de la Constitución]], is located at the site of Tenochtitlan's original central plaza and market, and many of the original ''calzadas'' still correspond to modern city streets. The [[Aztec calendar stone]] was located in the ruins. This stone is {{convert|4|m|ftin|sp=us}} in diameter and weighs over {{convert|20|ST|t ST LT|1|abbr=off|order=out|sp=us}}. It was once located half-way up the great pyramid. This sculpture was carved around 1470 under the rule of King [[Axayacatl]], the predecessor of [[Tizoc]], and is said to tell the history of the Mexicas and to prophesy the future.<ref>Walker,  pp. 162–167</ref>

In August 1987, archaeologists discovered a mix of 1,789 human bones {{convert|5|m|ftin|spell=in|sp=us}} below street level in Mexico City.<ref name=NG>{{cite magazine| title=Venerable Bones | author=A.R. Williams| magazine=National Geographic| url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/08/pictures/120829-aztec-sacrifice-templo-mayor-bones-archaeology/| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120901023458/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/08/pictures/120829-aztec-sacrifice-templo-mayor-bones-archaeology| url-status=dead| archive-date=1 September 2012|  date=29 August 2012}}</ref> The burial dates back to the 1480s and lies at the foot of the main temple in the sacred ceremonial precinct of the Aztec capital. The bones are from children, teenagers and adults. A complete skeleton of a young woman was also found at the site.<ref name=NG />
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