Leonardo López Luján, Director, Proyecto Templo Mayor; Senior Research Professor, National Institute of Anthropology and History, Mexico City

The Proyecto Templo Mayor of the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH) was created in 1978 after the discovery of a huge monolith depicting Coyolxauhqui, the Aztec moon goddess. Since then, other impressive public monuments and religious buildings have been discovered in downtown Mexico City in the area occupied by the sacred precinct of Tenochtitlan. Archaeologists recently uncovered the largest Aztec sculpture ever found—of the earth goddess Tlaltecuhtli. After providing an overview of the history of archaeology in Mexico City, Leonardo López Luján will undertake a formal, iconographic, and symbolic analysis of the Tlaltecuhtli stone to unveil its functions and meanings. He will also describe the exceptionally rich offerings buried under this sculpture as well as the possible presence of a royal tomb at the foot of the Templo Mayor.

Free admission. Free event parking at the 52 Oxford Street Garage. Cosponsored by the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, the Moses Mesoamerican Archive, Harvard Divinity School, the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, and the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture.