Eduardo Matos Moctezuma (born December 11, 1940) is a Mexican

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

. From 1978 to 1982 he directed excavations at the

Templo Mayor The (English: Main Temple) was the main temple of the Mexica people in their capital city of Tenochtitlan, Tenōchtitlan, which is now Mexico City. Its architectural style belongs to the late Mesoamerican chronology, Postclassic period of Me ...

, the remains of a major

Aztec The Aztecs ( ) were a Mesoamerican civilization that flourished in central Mexico in the Post-Classic stage, post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different Indigenous peoples of Mexico, ethnic groups of central ...

pyramid A pyramid () is a structure whose visible surfaces are triangular in broad outline and converge toward the top, making the appearance roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be of any polygon shape, such as trian ...

in central

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

. Matos Moctezuma graduated with a master's degree in archaeology from the

National School of Anthropology and History National School of Anthropology and History (in Spanish (language), Spanish: ''Escuela Nacional de Antropología e Historia, ENAH'') is a Mexican Institution of higher education founded in 1938 and a prominent center for the study of Anthropology ...

and a master's degree in anthropology from the

National Autonomous University of Mexico The National Autonomous University of Mexico (, UNAM) is a public university, public research university in Mexico. It has several campuses in Mexico City, and many others in various locations across Mexico, as well as a presence in nine countri ...

. He has excavated at archaeological sites in both the

Maya Maya may refer to: Ethnic groups * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Mayan languages, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (East Africa), a p ...

area and in central

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. In addition to the Templo Mayor project, Matos has directed major fieldwork projects at the sites of Tula and

Teotihuacan Teotihuacan (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Teotihuacán'', ; ) is an ancient Mesoamerican city located in a sub-valley of the Valley of Mexico, which is located in the State of Mexico, northeast of modern-day Mexico City. Teotihuacan is ...

. He has also made important contributions to the study of the history of archaeology in Mexico. Matos Moctezuma was director of the

project from 1978 to 1982, one of the most important archaeological projects in the world. Several seasons of excavations uncovered the construction history of this central temple of the

Aztec Empire The Aztec Empire, also known as the Triple Alliance (, Help:IPA/Nahuatl, �jéːʃkaːn̥ t͡ɬaʔtoːˈlóːjaːn̥ or the Tenochca Empire, was an alliance of three Nahuas, Nahua altepetl, city-states: , , and . These three city-states rul ...

, where numerous artefacts were unearthed, overturning scholarly understanding of

Aztec religion The Aztec religion is a polytheistic and monistic pantheism in which the Nahua concept of '' teotl'' was construed as the supreme god Ometeotl, as well as a diverse pantheon of lesser gods and manifestations of nature. The popular religion te ...

, empire, and ideology. Matos Moctezuma oversaw the creation of the Templo Mayor Museum in which these spectacular finds are displayed, and he directed the Museum for many years. 1987 saw the creation of the Urban Archaeology Program (directed by Matos) in which excavations in downtown Mexico City were expanded beyond the immediate site of the Templo Mayor. This research continues today. Eduardo Matos Moctezuma has published nearly 500 works during his career. His books include technical archaeological reports, interpretive works on archaeological finds, scholarly studies in the history of archaeology, exhibition catalogs, and collections of chapters. In addition to his work at the Templo Mayor and its museum, Matos Moctezuma has held many important posts in the field of Mexican archaeology. For the National Institute of Anthropology and History, he has directed the Department of Pre-Hispanic Monuments, the Archaeology Council, and the National Museum of Anthropology and History. He has also worked to explain archaeology and Aztec civilization to the public through lectures, writings, and museum exhibits, and was an interviewee for the Harvard Gazette in 2018 on the topic of ancient Aztec religion. Professor Matos has received many honors and awards, both in Mexico and in other countries. The most notable is election to the Colegio Nacional, a prestigious group of the top scholars and artists in Mexico. He has been distinguished as a '' Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Palmes Académiques'', '' Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Mérite'' and given the ''

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The Order of Arts and Letters () is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is the recognition of significant ...

'' by the Government of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. He has also received

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

's Andrés Bello Award,

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

's Henry B. Nicholson Medal and an honorary doctorate in science by the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, the University of Colorado Denver, and the U ...

. He is also a member of the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

Archaeological Institute, the

Archaeological Institute of America The Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) is North America, North America's oldest learned society and largest organization devoted to the world of archaeology. AIA professionals have carried out archaeological fieldwork around the world and ...

, the Mexican Society of Geography and Statistics, the Mexican Academy of History and many other professional organizations. He was awarded the National Science and Arts Prize in 2007. In 2017, the Eduardo Matos Moctezuma Lecture Series at

were announced. In 2022 he was awarded the Princess of Asturias Award in the category "Social Sciences".Princess of Asturias Award 2022
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Major publications

*Matos Moctezuma, Eduardo (1988) The Great Temple of the Aztecs. Thames and Hudson, New York. *Matos Moctezuma, Eduardo (1995) Life and Death in the Templo Mayor. Translated by Bernard R. Ortiz de Montellano and Thelma Ortiz de Montellano. University Press of Colorado, Boulder. *Matos Moctezuma, Eduardo (editor) (1999) Excavaciones en la catedral y el sagrario metropolitanos: programa de arqueología urbana. Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, Mexico City. *Matos Moctezuma, Eduardo (1999–2005) Estudios mexicas. 5 vols. El Colegio Nacional, Mexico City. *Matos Moctezuma, Eduardo and Felipe Solis (2005) The Aztec Calendar and Other Solar Monuments. Grupo Azabache, Mexico City. *Matos Moctezuma, Eduardo and Felipe R. Solís Olguín (editors) (2002) Aztecs. Royal Academy of Arts, London. *Matos Moctezuma, Eduardo and Leonardo López Luján (2012) Escultura monumental mexica. Fondo de Cultura Económica. Mexico City.

Notes

References

External links

The National College: Eduardo Matos MoctezumaMuseo del Templo Mayor: Eduardo Matos Moctezuma
(in Spanish).

MMARP – Eduardo Matos Moctezuma
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matos Moctezuma, Eduardo Mexican archaeologists 20th-century Mexican historians Members of El Colegio Nacional (Mexico) Mexican Mesoamericanists Historians of Mesoamerica Mesoamerican archaeologists Scholars of the Aztecs 20th-century Mesoamericanists 21st-century Mesoamericanists 1940 births Living people Chevaliers of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques 21st-century Mexican historians Members of the Mexican Academy of Language