RELIGIOUS USES OF THE TEMPLE

The Great Temple was dedicated to two Gods: the God of the sun and war, Huitzilopochtli, and the God of rain and agriculture, Tlaloc.  Twin staircases led up to each God's shrine.  Sacrifices occurred in front of the shrines, and each shrine had an altar called a tzompantli (skull rack) that displayed the skulls of the thousands of people who had been sacrificed. Most important religious ceremonies and rituals took place at the temple, and it was the religious center of Tenochtitlan.[