Aztec, Mayan, and Incan Architecture When the Spanish
conquistadors arrived in the new world, they found that they had
a wall of jungle in from of them. After they pushed through the
growth, fended off mosquito herds, and chopped down the trees,
the found a culture unlike any other. They had found the Aztec
civilization. This dark, pulsating, war-like tribe had settled
down on what is now Mexico City because of an ancient prophecy.
When an eagle sitting on a cactus eating a snake was spotted,
that was the location the Aztec tribe was to settle down and
cease their restless raiding. The Aztecs founded the great city
of Teotihuacan where they built massive sacrificial pyramids and
laid out their streets in a grid dotted with temples everywhere.
The Aztec pyramids were usually of 4 stages with small platforms
in-between. They usually had steps up all four sides and at the
top, there was a temple with a sacrificial stone. The priests
would take of the animal, or even a human sometimes, and cut out
their heart. Wh