An example of monumental archetecture within the Aztec society is the great pyramid of Tenochtitlan. It was created by the revered speaker Montecuzoma I, who was the ruler of the Aztecs in 1466. The pyramid was not finished until the rule of Montecuzoma II, around 1508. (Carrasco, Moctezumas Mexico, Pg 49.)
The pyramid was known to the Aztecs as the 'icpac tlamanacali,' or The Great Pyramid.
It's base was square, and 150 yards to a side. It rose toa height of 70 yards, and had smooth sides. The staircase ascending the front was actually two staircases, one for people going up and one for people going down. The staircases were separated by an ornamental gutter for blood to flow down. The pyramid was used as an sacrificial altar on which people were sacrificed to the gods, known to the Aztecs as the 'Flowery Death.' (Jenning's, Aztec, Pg 92.)
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