re: dog's age

I've been around. Mostly reading, though. Haven't done much of anything else. But when I saw what your post was about, well, I had to do more than just read. :)

re: execute the structures

If you mean build the structures, my guess would be slave labor. If you mean design or conceive of them, I'd just say it's amazing how much ancient people knew and took with them when they fell from prominence. I've read that medicine in particular is among those ancients' abilities that has been forgotten, or in our case, covered up because there's not as much of a profit.

re: 2005

Hmmm. My first trip was before that, February of 1996. Something like that. Don't remember climbing that particular pyramid then but I'm glad you were able to. I'm sure it afforded a spectacular view. :) I know for sure my wife and I didn't. By then, the integrity of the structure was the reason, or so we were told.

re: culture

It's tough to reconcile sometimes, how they could seem so technologically advanced in some ways and so backwards and savage in others. I suppose their civilization would be similar to ours: diverse with all kinds of beliefs, ethics and behaviors. There would be the forward thinkers and there would be those who wanted to hold onto the superstitions or traditions. Undoubtedly there were clashes between science and religion, since that seems to be an ongoing struggle.

What's obvious is, someone knew something about architecture, astronomy, civil engineering, city planning, irrigation, mining, etc. All these things that we think of as more modern methods, people were employing to some degree hundreds to thousands of years ago.

Very fascinating, indeed!