Pyramid

Imagine travelling to a new world and thinking you would find savages. Instead, you find a complex civilization of people who have temples, water ways, and a barter system for money.

By the time Spanish explorer and soldier Hernán Cortés traveled from Cuba to Tenochtitlán in 1519, the city had grown to more than 100,000 people. It was, in the words of the conquering Spaniards, an amazing city of fertile gardens, canals, and massive temples, more beautiful than any European city. Tenochtitlán was connected to the mainland by three large causeways (bridges) that converged on the ceremonial center, near Emperor Moctezuma II's palace and the main temple.

Moctezuma, who believed Cortés was the returning god Quetzalcóatl, welcomed the Spaniards into the city. He was soon their prisoner, however, and died in 1520. The Aztecs then embarked on a futile defense of their city against the Spaniards and their allies, native peoples like the Tlaxcalans, who had been earlier defeated by the Aztecs. Tenochtitlán was heavily damaged during the final battle on August 13, 1521, with Cuauhtémoc, the last of the Aztec kings, leading its defense.

The Spaniards built on top of the Aztec temples to make sure their god was higher than the Aztecs. In  1978, a rich Mexican developer decided to build a highrise on downtown Mexico City. During the excavating they found an amaziung pyramid that had been built by the Aztecs.

Here are some photos of the archelogical dig we saw: