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http://www.aboutmexico.net/mexico/img/pyramids.jpg[/img]Chichén-Itzá, Pyramid of Kukulcán[/center]
Unlike Egyptian pyramids, Mesoamerican pyramids are typically step pyramids with a temple at the peak. Different Mesoamerican civilizations created a number of pyramids in various sites all over Mexico.
The Great Pyramid of Cholula is the second tallest pyramid in the world and the largest in the New World, with a height of over 200 ft. Located in [url=http://www.aboutmexico.net/mexico/puebla.asp][u]Puebla[/u][/url], the pyramid was made for Quetzalcoatl. A church, known as the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, lies on top of the pyramid.
The Aztecs, whose capital lay in Tenochtitlan, built the Great Pyramid. Also known as the Templo Mayor, the Great Pyramid was the chief temple of the Aztecs. The temple was decorated with shrines to their gods Tlaloc and Huitzilopochtli. The Great Pyramid can be found in Mexico City.
The Mayas also built a number of pyramids. One of their most popular pyramids is El Castillo in [url=http://www.aboutmexico.net/mexico/chichen-itza.asp][u]Chichen Itza[/u][/url] in the Yucatan Peninsula. El Castillo is another step pyramid, dedicated to Quetzalcoatl. Another famous Mayan site is Palenque in Chiapas. This site is composed of a number of step pyramids, such as the Temple of the Cross and the Temple of the Sun. Other Maya pyramids include Structure 2 in Calakmul; the Temple of the Masonry Altars in Altun Ha in Belize; and the unique Adivino in Uxmal in Yucatan.
The [url=http://www.aboutmexico.net/mexico/teotihuacan.asp][u]Teotihuacanos[/u][/url] built the second largest pyramid in the New World, known as the Pyramid of the Sun. Beside it is another pyramid, the Pyramid of the Moon. Other Teotihuacan pyramids can be found in Xochicalco in Morelos and Tula in Hidalgo.
The Totonacs also built the Pyramid of the Niches in El Tajin in Veracruz. The Tarascans also built step pyramids in the shape of a T, known as yacatas, in Tzintzuntzan in Michoacan. The Zapotecs also built step pyramids in Monte Alban in [url=http://www.aboutmexico.net/mexico/oaxaca.asp][u]Oaxaca[/u][/url].
There are certain rules you have to remember when visiting the pyramids of Mexico. In some sites, such as El Tajin, you will not be allowed to climb structures. Flash photography is also not allowed. Guides who speak English are usually available at the entrance of the site.
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