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All Mexico Mexico City CCEMx Site Museum

CCEMx Site Museum

The remains of an Aztec school and various intriguing artifacts lie below a modern cultural center.

Mexico City, Mexico

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Mario Yair T.S.
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Prehispanic pottery.   Mario Yair TS / Atlas Obscura User
A decoration from the Calmecac facade.   Mario Yair TS / Atlas Obscura User
The Calmecac Hall.   Mario Yair TS / Atlas Obscura User
The CCEMx Site Museum.   Mario Yair TS / Atlas Obscura User
Representation of a dismembered leg.   Mario Yair TS / Atlas Obscura User
Human jaw discovered at the site.   Mario Yair TS / Atlas Obscura User
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During construction of a parking lot for the Centro Cultural de España en México (CCEMx), workers made a startling discovery. There, lying beneath the dirt, were the vestiges of a school for Aztec nobles.

Based on archaeological evidence, the archaeologists declared that the site was a Calmecac. This place was meant to prepare nobles’ kids to become priests, warriors, governors, or even emperors. The classes included theology, rhetoric, strategy, and poetry. Students were also taught astrology and the interpretation of dreams.

The museum dedicated to the calmecac opened in 2012 in the basement of the CCEMx building. One part shows the entrance to the school. Another area contains a hall, and still another part houses part of the rooms where the students lived. The most curious thing you’ll spot within the remains is on one side of the stairs, where it’s possible to see a footprint left behind by one of the Aztec builders.

The museum shows not only the remains of the school, but all the archaeological pieces discovered in the site as well. There, it's possible to see ancient pottery, some wooden stairs, and even a piece of a human jaw engraved with pre-Hispanic allegories.

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Museums Aztec Subterranean Archaeology

Know Before You Go

The entrance to the site museum is in the basement of the CCEMx, down the back stairs. The CCEMx always shows contemporary art exhibits from Mexico and Spain. Don't forget to visit the Spanish restaurant on the rooftop, which offers an amazing view of Mexico's downtown (sometimes it also hosts concerts at night).

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Mario Yair TS

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September 27, 2018

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CCEMx Site Museum
18 República de Guatemala
México D.F.
Mexico City
Mexico
19.435264, -99.132986
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