Teocalli
/te.oˈkal.i/noun
An Aztec temple or sacred pyramid.
Did you know?Teocalli comes from Nahuatl teōtl (“god”) + calli (“house”), a reminder that sacred architecture was imagined as a dwelling place for divine forces.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Nahuatl
Nah
teōcalli
“god house; temple”
16th Century
Spanish
teocalli
“an Aztec temple or sacred shrine”
19th Century
English
teocalli
“a temple of the Aztecs, especially a stepped pyramid temple”
Modern English
English
teocalli
“a term used for an Aztec temple or pyramid-temple”