Preserving the Ruins of the Templo Mayor

Templo Mayor was one of the main temples of Tenochtitlan, the former capital of the Aztec empire. It was destroyed by the Spanish in 1521 and the ruins were buried and largely forgotten until their rediscovery in the 1970s.  

The site sits next to the Zócalo, Mexico City’s main square and the Metropolitan cathedral. It provides a glimpse into the past by giving visitors a chance to imagine what the Aztec capital may have looked like hundreds of years ago. 

In 2016, CyArk worked with staff of the Templo Mayor museum to document some of the sensitive features located in the ruins.

LiDAR laser scanning and photogrammetry were used to record the outside of the structure, including the winding serpent head balustrades that encircle the base of the temple of Huitzilopochtli, the Aztec deity of Tenochtitlan, war, sun, and human sacrifice.

Structured light scanners were used to document some of the artifacts that were discovered onsite and are currently housed in the museum. Check out some of the models here.