[1] The complex served as the royal palace and chambers of Tenochtitlan's ninth emperor Moctezuma II,[1] who was the Aztec leader during the arrival of Hernán Cortés.

[2] The site was uncovered in 2008, during a partial renovation of the Museo Nacional de las Culturas, along with a series of excavations led by archaeologist Elsa Hernández Pons.

The site is several layers deep because the Spanish colonials built Mexico City on top of the Aztec buildings.

Moctezuma's Casa Denegrida, or "black house", was among the discoveries found.

It was a window-less room that was painted black and served as Moctezuma's meditating place.