Aztec Temple Mayor idols described by Cortés in 1519. In November 1519, Hernán Cortés and Bernal Díaz entered the inner chamber of Temple Mayor in Tenochtitlan They described two colossal idols on raised altars The first was Huitzilopochtli, patron of war and the sun, armored in gold and feathers with serpents
In November 1519, Hernán Cortés and Bernal Díaz entered the inner chamber of Temple Mayor in Tenochtitlan and described two colossal idols on raised altars: Huitzilopochtli, the patron of war and the sun, armored in gold and feathers with serpent imagery, and Tezcatlipoca, lord of the night and fate, with eyes set with shining obsidian mirrors — the walls blackened by blood. When Cortés called them evil spirits, Montezuma protested these were gods who brought rain, harvests, health, and victory. The shrine was destroyed and its stones used to build colonial Mexico City — the idols survive only in Díaz's later accounts.
Key Facts
- In November 1519, Hernán Cortés and Bernal Díaz entered the inner chamber of Temple Mayor in Tenochtitlan
- They described two colossal idols on raised altars
- The first was Huitzilopochtli, patron of war and the sun, armored in gold and feathers with serpents
- The second was Tezcatlipoca, lord of the night and fate, with eyes set with shining black mirrors
- The walls were blackened by blood
- Cortés told Montezuma the idols were evil spirits called devils and requested permission to tear them down
- Montezuma protested that these were gods who brought rain, harvests, health, and victory
- The shrine was later burned and the temple toppled, its stones repurposed for the colonial city
- The idols survive only in Díaz's accounts
Related site: Tenochtitlan - Templo Mayor — view location, images, and history on the Ancient Nerds map.
Source: 5 Forbidden Artifacts Religion Tried to Bury by Dark5 Ancient Mysteries