Aztec Calendar

The Aztec calendar is a monolith that weights about 25 tons and measures close to 12 feet in diameter.

It was discovered on December 1790 close to the main cathedral in downtown Mexico and it remained on display there for almost a century.

Description of the symbols on the stone. more detailed information of these and how to read them can be found clicking HERE

In 1885 the stone was moved to a building not far from where it was found and displayed there.

It was built in 1479 and  it was the top part of a platform placed horizontally where some human sacrifices were performed on it.

The monolith was collapsed from it's platform in 1521 the year of the conquest by Spanish soldiers and by order of the Archbishop Alonso de Montufar it was buried  because of the horrific human sacrifices performed on it, and it remained buried for almost two centuries.

This picture was taken in 1885 when it was moved to a building that functioned as a museum.

Today it's on display at the museum of anthropology and it's one of the most important pieces of the place and the most recognized in the world.