Spiritual Hegemony
Perhaps nowhere else in the world is the evidence of a rupture between civilizations as dramatic as in Mexico City’s giant central square, known as the Zócalo, where the ruin of the Aztecs’ Templo Mayor abuts the ponderous cathedral the Spanish erected to declare their spiritual dominance over the conquered.
Templo Mayor founded in 1325 was conquered and destroyed by the Spanish in 1521. The Spanish constructed the cathedral, their houses, with the same stones from the pre-Hispanic temples.
When the cathedral needed to be restored in the later part of 20th century, engineers dug 30 shafts to stabilize the structure at a place adjacent to the cathedral. A new chapter in the history was created as Templo Mayor got discovered.