Reuters gained exclusive access to the exhibit at the Mexican capital's Templo Mayor Museum before it opened. Most of the pieces on display were excavated from the ruins of the Aztecs' holiest shrine, now adjacent to the museum. "These are very fragile objects, very delicate," said exhibit curator Maria Barajas, standing next to a lineup of small carved masks. Most wooden artifacts quickly decompose and can only withstand the test of the time with constant temperature and moisture levels, Barajas said. Reporting by David Alire Garcia; Editing by Stephen Eisenhammer, Rami Ayyub and Sonali PaulOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Persons: scepters, Maria Barajas, Barajas, Adriana Sanroman, Sanroman, Patricia Ledesma, David Alire Garcia, Stephen Eisenhammer, Rami Ayyub, Sonali Paul Organizations: MEXICO CITY, Reuters, Templo, Museum, Aztecs, Thomson Locations: MEXICO, Mexico City