Archaeological site Cuauhtémoc, Ciudad de México Municipality of Cuauhtémoc Valley of Mexico
The Aztecs' great twin temple, unearthed after 1978 beside the Zócalo: walk through seven building stages, then see the Coyolxauhqui stone inside.
From Toluca: 1 h 10 min by car (65 km by road) How to get there ↓
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Tours to Templo Mayor
A guide brings Templo Mayor to life: look for tours from Tepotzotlán that include the site and the ride there.
Templo Mayor Tour, Mexico City: Aztec Ruins & Museum
★ 4.9 (113) · From US$61
How to get to Templo Mayor
- From Toluca: about 1 h 10 min by road (~65 km)
- Nearest airport: Mexico City (Felipe Ángeles) (NLU), 48 min by car to Tepotzotlán
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Popular tours to Templo Mayor
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About Templo Mayor
The Templo Mayor was the main temple of Tenochtitlan, a stepped pyramid crowned by two shrines: on the south side to Huitzilopochtli, the god of sun and war, and on the north to Tlaloc, the rain god. The Mexica raised the first, modest temple soon after founding the city around 1325 and enlarged it again and again, encasing each building inside the next; archaeologists count seven main stages, the last of them seen by the conquistadors in 1519. At its height it stood roughly 60 metres tall on a base of about 100 by 80 metres. The Spanish tore it down after 1521 and built over the precinct, and for centuries it was known only from chronicles and the odd stone turned up under the streets.
That changed on 21 February 1978, when workers for the electricity company dug into a huge carved disc just over two metres down at the corner of Guatemala and Argentina streets. It was Coyolxauhqui, the dismembered moon goddess, more than 3.25 m across and weighing about 8.5 tonnes. A presidential decree launched the Templo Mayor Project under archaeologist Eduardo Matos Moctezuma; 13 buildings were demolished, and from 1978 to 1982 the dig recovered more than 7,000 objects, most of them from more than 100 offerings buried in the temple's layers. Excavation has never really stopped: in October 2006 the nearly 12-tonne relief of the earth goddess Tlaltecuhtli was found at the foot of the pyramid.
A visit has two parts on one ticket. Outside, walkways lead over the excavated stages, so you can see older stairways and shrines nested inside later ones, the serpent heads at the base, a reclining chacmool and the House of the Eagle Warriors with its benches. Then comes the museum designed by Pedro Ramírez Vázquez and opened on 12 October 1987. Its eight halls follow the temple's own split, the first four for Huitzilopochtli, war and tribute, the last four for Tlaloc, farming and the natural world, with the Coyolxauhqui stone, life-size eagle-warrior figures and a Tlaloc jar still painted blue. Tlaltecuhtli lies in the lobby.
Other parts of the sacred precinct, such as the round temple of Ehécatl and the ball court on Guatemala street, are still being studied; they opened briefly for guided visits in mid-2026 and have closed again for research.
How to get to Templo Mayor
Drive from Toluca: 1 h 10 min, 65 km
The entrance is at Seminario 8, just off the northeast corner of the Zócalo, next to the cathedral. Take Metro Line 2 to Zócalo/Tenochtitlan and use the exit by the cathedral or the Palacio Nacional; on Metrobús Line 4 the República de Argentina stop (northbound route) is a few blocks north.
Directions to Templo Mayor on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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From the nearest cities to Templo Mayor
- Toluca · 65 km by road, 1 h 10 min
- Cuernavaca · 75 km by road, 1 h 20 min
- Pachuca · 93 km by road, 1 h 20 min
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Before you go to Templo Mayor: hours, prices and tips
- Hours
- Tuesday to Sunday, 9 am to 5 pm; closed Mondays. INAH · checked Oct 2026
- Entry
- MX$210 for foreign visitors and MX$105 for Mexicans and residents, covering the archaeological zone and the museum. Sundays are free for Mexican citizens; Mexican children under 13, students, teachers and seniors also enter free. INAH · checked Oct 2026
- Time needed
- Allow at least two hours, and three to see the museum properly. The Creative Adventurer · checked Oct 2026
- Best time of day
- Avoid Sunday, the busiest day, with long lines at the entrance. If rain is coming, do the museum first and the outdoor ruins after it clears. The Creative Adventurer · checked Oct 2026
- Guide or tour
- You can visit on your own; the museum also offers guided tours. Tours: Viator GetYourGuide INAH · checked Oct 2026
- What to bring
- Bring a hat, sunscreen and water for the open-air ruins, and wear comfortable shoes: the ground is uneven. The Creative Adventurer · checked Oct 2026
- Rules
- No flash photography, no food, no smoking and no pets; professional cameras pay an extra fee. INAH · checked Oct 2026
Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.
Visiting Templo Mayor: what to see and do
Follow the walkways over the ruins and spot the older temples nested inside the later ones.
See the serpent heads at the foot of the stairways and the chacmool by Tlaloc's shrine.
Visit the House of the Eagle Warriors, with its painted benches.
In the museum, look down on the Coyolxauhqui stone found in 1978.
See the 12-tonne Tlaltecuhtli relief in the lobby, with much of its original colour.
Find the eagle-warrior figures and the blue-painted Tlaloc jar in the upper halls.
Plan your trip
Places to stay in Templo Mayor
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Templo Mayor.
Tours & activities
A guide brings Templo Mayor to life: look for tours from Tepotzotlán that include the site and the ride there.
Rental cars
Pick up a car at NLU (Mexico City (Felipe Ángeles)): about 48 min by road to Tepotzotlán, then 33 km more to Templo Mayor, on your own schedule.
Flights
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Mexico City (Felipe Ángeles) (NLU), about 48 min by road from Tepotzotlán, the base for Templo Mayor.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Tepotzotlán: download a map of the way to Templo Mayor before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.
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When to go to Templo Mayor cool
Templo Mayor shares the climate of Tepotzotlán, 33 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, March, and December.
See the month-by-month climate of Tepotzotlán
Weather in Templo Mayor now and the next 7 days
Live forecast from Open-Meteo. Chance of rain is the day's highest.
The closest Pueblo Mágico: Tepotzotlán
Tepotzotlán is the Pueblo Mágico closest to Templo Mayor, with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Also close to
- Teotihuacán · Estado de México · 42 km away
- Villa del Carbón · Estado de México · 48 km away
- Otumba · Estado de México · 49 km away
- Tepoztlán · Morelos · 50 km away
- Metepec · Estado de México · 53 km away
Closest to Templo Mayor
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Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso · Landmark · 0 km away
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Catedral Metropolitana · Landmark · 0 km away
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Centro Histórico · Landmark · 0 km away
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Ciudad de México · City · 0 km away
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Palacio Nacional · Landmark · 0 km away
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Zócalo · Landmark · 0 km away
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Alameda Central · Landmark · 1 km away
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Casa de los Azulejos · Landmark · 1 km away
Near Templo Mayor
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Lists with Templo Mayor
Ruins in Ciudad de México · 6 Ruins near Mexico City · 17 Ruins near Tepotzotlán · 14 Ruins near Teotihuacán · 17 Ruins near Villa del Carbón · 11 Ruins near Otumba · 15 Ruins near Tepoztlán · 19 Ruins near Metepec · 13Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.