in America are found in jungle settings. The first Latin American pyramids were built by the Olmec civilization in ancient Mexico some time around 1000 B.C. (King, 26). The earliest of these structures were simple mounds raised above the surrounding swampy earth, which over time become more sophisticated. The actual pyramids were preceded by simple wooden temples with thatched roofs which the Indians built on elevated land to protect the structure from floods and to raise the sacred building above the level of their homes (Ivanoff, 69). Eventually locations in the Olmec world which featured pyramids such as La Venta came to be "great ceremonial centers in their time" (King, 29).
After the Olmec, the Mayan civilization of the Yucatan area of Mexico built more sophisticated pyramids. The Maya were a highly advanced people whose civilization was well developed as early as the 8th century B.C. Mayan culture flourished from 100 B.C. until the time of the Spanish Conquest. The Mayans built very impressive pyramids topped by religious temples with huge decorative crests. The Mayan pyramids are especially noteworthy for the development of arches and stairways, which was made possible through the extensive use of cement. The simple jungle temple was the original impetus for the larger pyramids, which were typically built over older structures. It is interesting to note that the "advent of the arch is perhaps due to the Mayans' desire to reproduce in stone the interior of the first temple, itself a reproduction of the family hut with a conical, thatched roof" (Ivanoff, 71).
The Aztec civilization conquered the Mayans and dominated the area from the 13th through the 15th centuries, A.D. The Aztecs were a warrior culture. The center of their society was located in the area we know today as Mexico City. The Aztecs built pyramids that were topped by double temples, which were "dedicated, respectively, to the Rain God and to their...