30 May 2025 / 10 House
Temple design
Most Aztecs lived in cities: the whole shore of 12-mile-long Lake Texcoco was dotted with settlements ranging from small villages to large cities.
The Aztecs hero-worshipped the people who, centuries before them, had built the greatest city in all ancient Mexico - Teotihuacan. Look how the big pyramids were given exactly the same shape as the mountains behind them!
Aztec technology was quite simple but ‘Boy!’ they knew their stuff: for example, the lime plaster they used for floors and walls has stayed as hard as modern concrete even after 500 years...
The oldest (Maya) pyramid bases certainly stood the test of time; low in height, generally of vertical walls, they were simple raised and levelled stone platforms that protected them from floods.
Over time, the pyramids - and the temple buildings on top - got bigger and bigger, and heavier and heavier! How to stop them collapsing? By giving the sides the same sort of angle as the slope of any sliding earth in the hills close by. Result? Much more stable!
Pyramids got higher and higher in stages - each stage consisted of a PLATFORM and a PANEL. The panels just lent themselves to being decorated. These are insect designs!