Eduardo Matos Moctezuma
Eduardo Matos Moctezuma (born December 11, 1940) is a Mexican archaeologist of Dominican descent. From 1978 to 1982 he directed excavations at the Templo Mayor, the remains of a major Aztec pyramid in central Mexico City. His father was a Dominican Republic diplomat that served in Panama, Venezuela and Mexico.
Eduardo Matos Moctezuma

Secretaría de Cultura Ciudad de México from México · Presentacion Libro 1554 Mexico_008 · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Name
- Eduardo Matos Moctezuma
- Born
- 11 December 1940
- Birthplace
- Mexico City, Mexico
- Education
- * National School of Anthropology and History
- Known for
- Templo Mayor
- Awards
- National Prize for Arts and Sciences Princess of Asturias Awards
- Nationality
- Mexico
- Occupation
- anthropologist · archaeologist · historian · researcher · writer
- Honours
- National Prize for Arts and Sciences · Honorary Doctorate from the National Autonomous University of Mexico · Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences · Princess of Asturias Award for Social Sciences
- Languages
- Spanish
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Eduardo Matos Moctezuma (born December 11, 1940) is a Mexican archaeologist of Dominican descent. From 1978 to 1982 he directed excavations at the Templo Mayor, the remains of a major Aztec pyramid in central Mexico City. His father was a Dominican Republic diplomat that served in Panama, Venezuela and Mexico.
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Authority files
gnd · 16164577-X · wikidata · Q956157 · wikipedia · Eduardo Matos Moctezuma
In this article
Biography
Biography
Matos Moctezuma graduated with a master's degree in archaeology from the National School of Anthropology and History and a master's degree in anthropology from the National Autonomous University of Mexico. He has excavated at archaeological sites in both the Maya area and in central Mexico. In addition to the Templo Mayor project, Matos has directed major fieldwork projects at the sites of Tula and Teotihuacan. He has also made important contributions to the study of the history of archaeology in Mexico. Matos Moctezuma was director of the Templo Mayor 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, where numerous artefacts were unearthed, overturning scholarly understanding of Aztec religion, 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. 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 by the Government of France. He has also received Venezuela's Andrés Bello Award, Harvard University's Henry B. Nicholson Medal and an honorary doctorate in science by the University of Colorado. He is also a member of the German Archaeological Institute, the Archaeological Institute of America, 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 Harvard University were announced. In 2022 he was awarded the Princess of Asturias Award in the category "Social Sciences".
Eduardo Matos Moctezuma studied at National School of Anthropology and History. The recorded working language is Spanish. Employment is recorded with Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia. Distinctions recorded are National Prize for Arts and Sciences, Honorary Doctorate from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and Princess of Asturias Award for Social Sciences.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Eduardo Matos Moctezuma • Born — 11 December 1940 • Birthplace — Mexico City, Mexico • Fields — Archeology Anthropology • Workplaces — * National School of Anthropology and History • National Museum of Anthropology • Education — * National School of Anthropology and History • National Autonomous University of Mexico • Known for — Templo Mayor • Awards — National Prize for Arts and Sciences Princess of Asturias Awards • Citizenship — * Mexico • Dominican Republic
Life and work
Life and work
Eduardo Matos Moctezuma was born on 11 December 1940 in Mexico City. Moctezuma held the nationality of Mexico. Moctezuma was educated at National School of Anthropology and History and National School of Anthropology and History. Moctezuma worked as anthropologist, archaeologist, historian and researcher, and the authority record catalogues a further 1 occupations under the same name, among them writer. Moctezuma was employed by Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia. Moctezuma worked in Spanish.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
Explore 1940–2022
The full dated record · 5 entries
1940
Eduardo Matos Moctezuma was born on 11 December 1940.
2007
Receives National Prize for Arts and Sciences.
2017
Receives Honorary Doctorate from the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
2022
Receives Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
2022
Receives Princess of Asturias Award for Social Sciences.
Major publications
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.
Books and published writings, 1970–2019
Catalogued output
Books and published writings, 1970–2019
These are catalogued publications carrying the name — editions and printings, distinct from the works they contain and from writing about the subject. The 1980s are the densest part of the run, with 23 titles, and that concentration is a fact about what the registers have catalogued rather than a judgement on the work itself. They belong to a run of 90 titles in all, from 1970 to 2024. A selection is set out below and the complete run may be opened beneath it.
83 editions carry dates between 1970 and 2019
The run opens with Parálisis facial prehispánica and closes with Arqueología de un arqueólogo
The entries follow Open Library
Parálisis facial prehispánica
1970
Proyecto Tula
1974
Los Pueblos y señoríos teocráticos
1975
Muerte a filo de obsidiana
1975
Tula
1980
El Negrito Poeta mexicano y el dominicano
1980
Informe de la revisión de los trabajos arqueológicos realizados en Ichcateopan, Guerrero
1980
Pedro Henríquez Ureña y su aporte al folklore latinoamericano
1981
Mexique d'hier et d'aujourd'hui
1981
The complete catalogue · 60
83 editions carry dates between 1970 and 2019
The run opens with Parálisis facial prehispánica and closes with Arqueología de un arqueólogo
The entries follow Open Library
Parálisis facial prehispánica
1970
Proyecto Tula
1974
Los Pueblos y señoríos teocráticos
1975
Muerte a filo de obsidiana
1975
Tula
1980
El Negrito Poeta mexicano y el dominicano
1980
Informe de la revisión de los trabajos arqueológicos realizados en Ichcateopan, Guerrero
1980
Pedro Henríquez Ureña y su aporte al folklore latinoamericano
1981
Mexique d'hier et d'aujourd'hui
1981
Estudios de cultura popular
1981
Una visita al Templo Mayor de Tenochtitlan
1981
El Templo Mayor de Tenochtitlan
1982
El Templo Mayor
1982
Manuel Gamio
1983
Guía oficial
1985
The Great Temple
1985
Vida y muerte en el Templo Mayor
1986
Los orígenes americanos
1987
Cacaxtla
1987
Ideas acerca del origen del hombre americano (1570-1916)
1987
Los Dioses que se negaron a morir
1987
El rostro de la muerte en el México prehispánico
1987
The Great Temple of Tenochtitlan
1987
The mask of death in prehispanic Mexico
1988
Ofrendas
1988
The Great Temple of the Aztecs
1988
The Aztecs
1989
Treasures of the Great Temple
1990
Trabajos arqueológicos en el centro de la ciudad de México
1990
Teotihuacán, the city of the gods
1990
Teotihuacan, la metrópoli de los dioses
1990
México, la visión del cosmos
1992
La piedra del sol
1992
Aztec
1992
Reflexiones en el tiempo
1993
Dioses del M©♭xico antiguo
1995
La Pirámide del Sol, Teotihuacán
1995
Life and death in the Templo Mayor, dated 1995. La cultura teotihuacana
1995
Camino al Mictlan
1997
Museo del Templo Mayor
1997
Proyecto Templo Mayor
1998
Las piedras negadas
1998
La casa prehispánica
1999
Estudios mexicas
1999
Excavaciones en la catedral y el sagrario metropolitanos
1999
Arte del Templo Mayor
2000
Los aztecas
2000
Descubridores del pasado en Mesoamérica
2001
Teotihuacan
2002
Aztecs
2002
Vida, Pasion Y Muerte De Tenochtitlan (Coleccin Popular)
2003
Hernán Cortés y la conquista de México
2003
La cultura mezcala y el Templo Mayor, octubre 2003, enero 2004
2003
Excavaciones del Programa de Arqueología Urbana
2003
El calendario Azteca y otros monumentos solares
2004
The Aztec calendar and other solar monuments
2004
El Palacio Nacional
2005
A further 25 recorded entries stand behind this article and are held on the record.
Books and published writings, 2020–2024
Catalogued output
Books and published writings, 2020–2024
6 editions carry dates between 2020 and 2024
The run opens with Las andanzas de un calendario y los trotes de un caballito and closes with Moctezuma y Atahualpa: Vida, Pasión y Muerte de Dos Gobernantes / Moctezuma and Atahualpa
Las andanzas de un calendario y los trotes de un caballito
2020
De muertos, fiestas y panteones
2020
La conquista de México
2020
1519
2021
Tenochtitlan, la caída de un imperio
2021
Books and published writings without a settled date
Catalogued output
Books and published writings without a settled date
1 further edition are catalogued under Moctezuma's name without a date the collections agree on, which is why they are set apart from the dated run rather than placed in it.
Tresors De L'Art Au Mexique (Collection Aspects De L'art)
Primary material
Documents and archives
scholarly publication
reference work
- “Eduardo Matos Moctezuma”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
institutional register
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q956157: Eduardo Matos Moctezuma
General reference · Wikimedia Foundation
Institutional memberships
Where the work is held
Institutional memberships
Moctezuma is recorded as a member of Colegio Nacional, Academia Mexicana de la Lengua and Mexican Academy of History. Membership is stated by the bodies' own records and is not read here as evidence of office or of any particular role within them.
Honours and awards
Where the work is held
Honours and awards
They run from 2007 to 2022.
4 honours stand against the name
National Prize for Arts and Sciences
2007
Honorary Doctorate from the National Autonomous University of Mexico
2017
Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
2022
Princess of Asturias Award for Social Sciences
2022
Literature
Further cited scholarship
3 scholarly and reference publications are cited here, each one identified by title and by the publication, publisher or institution that carried it, with its year where the register states one. The cited literature runs from 2000 to 2015, which is a measure of how long Moctezuma has been a subject of scholarship rather than of how much has been written. The publications represented include caa.reviews and Latin American Antiquity. The Encyclopedia cites this literature and does not summarise the arguments of works it has not read in full.
Review of "Escultura monumental mexica" by Eduardo Matos Moctezuma and Leonardo López Luján, caa.reviews, 2015
Eduardo Matos Moctezuma
El Colegio Nacional, Mexico City, 1999
Volumen I, Tomo 1: xii + 293 pp. Figures, bibliographies, index
Volumen I, Tomo 2: viii + 267 pp. Figures, bibliographies, index, (cloth), Latin American Antiquity, 2001
Excavaciones en la Catedraly el Sagrario Metropolitanos: Programa de arqueología urbana
Eduardo Matos Moctezuma, editor
Revised edition. Editor
Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, Mexico City, 1999
125 pp., figures, tables, bibliographies
82 pesos (paper), Latin American Antiquity, 2000
Authority records
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
scholarly publication
Institutional witnessreference work
Secondary witnessinstitutional register
Wikidata, structured authority record Q956157: Eduardo Matos MoctezumaWikimedia Foundation
General reference
Further particulars
Held on the record
Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
He was employed by Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia. He belonged to Colegio Nacional, Academia Mexicana de la Lengua and Mexican Academy of History. Recorded as having received National Prize for Arts and Sciences, Honorary Doctorate from the National Autonomous University of Mexico and Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Career and activity
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Books
39,529 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Eduardo López BustamanteAuthor
- Eduardo LourençoAuthor
- Eduardo MarquinaAuthor
- Eduardo Martínez CelisAuthor
- Eduardo MignognaAuthor
- Eduardo MilánAuthor
- Eduardo Parra PizarroAuthor
- Eduardo PittaAuthor
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