Ancient Pyramids and Temples of Mexico and Central America

The great pyramids and temple platforms of ancient Mexico and Central America, one photo per structure, from an Olmec earth mound to the last temples of the Aztecs. Most were built by the Maya or the Aztecs, but several of the most famous were not: La Venta was Olmec, Monte Albán Zapotec, Teotihuacan, Cholula, El Tajín, Xochicalco and Tula each the work of their own peoples, and every caption names the city, the culture and the period. A structure earns its place by being a landmark of its city that you can still see today, whether restored, excavated or still half buried under forest. The photos run roughly in order of each building's heyday, so the gallery doubles as a walk through more than 2,000 years of Mesoamerican architecture.