| Great Pyramid Of Tenochtitlan |
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The Great Pyramid or '''Templo Mayor''' was the main temple of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan (modern Mexico City ). The temple rose 60 m (197 ft) above the city's ritual precinct, surmounted by dual shrines to the deities Huitzilopochtli (god of war and sun) and Tlaloc (god of rain and fertility). It was mostly destroyed in 1521 , along with the Aztec empire, by the Spanish Conquistador Hernán Cortés . Numerous smaller buildings and platforms associated with the temple formed a closely-situated complex around its base. A Stucco relief depicting a '' Tzompantli '', or "skull rack", decorated one platform leading to the temple. The temple was enlarged several times, and for the last time in 1497 , when between 3,000 and 84,000 people were sacrificed over 4 days during its reconsecration. External links |