Aztec temples were more than buildings dedicated to prayer – from their very foundation blocks to the murals on their walls, these incredible structures represented the Aztecs’ vision of the world. Aztec temples were usually found at the top of pyramids and they are often called temple-pyramids. Designed using ancient Mesoamerican architectural traditions that went back thousands of years (pic 1), temple-pyramids were tall structures forming four main platforms, with grand stairways running up one side; you can see them in the picture above, which comes from an old Aztec book, the Codex Ixtlilxochitl.