Symbolically, it's actually pretty neat and is just a visual metaphor of representative democracy. Notice how the bricks can be made out in the base? The bricks, individuated from one another, are each citizen - the foundation of the country, one but many individual units. Together, they give power to a transcendent body to unify, watch over, and govern them. It's made from the same stuff as the base, but is also distinct from it (pure democracy would be a solid pyramid with no separation; the separation makes it a representative form). There's been speculation as to why the triangular shape was chosen (specifically as it pertains to the floating triangle), but in keeping with the metaphor, it seems apparent to me that it was likely chosen to represent the three branches of government.
It's a masonic symbol. The eye is "The Eye of Providence" and it keeps watch over the unfinished Pyramid, which represents America. It's the eye of God. However, it was not a masonic symbol when adopted for use in the great seal of America, being first used 14 years after the great seal was adopted.
The 13 steps of the Pyramid stand for the original 13 states, and the Latin numbers on the bottom are "1776", the date of the Founding of the USA.
The other words on the great seal are "Annuit Coeptis" or "(He) has approved our undertakings" and "Novo Ordo Seclorum" or "A New Order for the Ages". i.e. that America was not explicitly tied to any of the former nations in any way. Conspiracy theorists will tell you it means "a new, secular order", but that's just not true. Some of them even quote it as "SecUlorum". But it reads, "Seclorum".
The front of the great seal (the pyramid is on the reverse, or back) is the eagle with thirteen arrows in one claw (also for the 13 states of the original union) and an olive branch for 13 leaves and 13 olives in the other (also for the original 13 states). The arrows represent war and the olive branch peace, and the eagle's head is turned towards the olive branch, signifying our national preference for peace over war.
There is a LOT more, but I'll stop now before it goes into tl;dr territory.
And I'd like to point out that there is more than one Mayan Pyramid. There are tons of them. Same with Egyptian pyramids. And there is the early pyramid, the Step Pyramid of Djoser (pronounced Zho-zer), created by stacking Mastabas on top of each other. (Mastabas being early Egyptian tombs used *before* pyramids.)
There are Pyramids in Peru and the Middle East as well, The Sudan, home of the Nubian culture, also has Pyramids. Ur is home to another stepped Pyramid, and there is one in Rome as well. (Built in 12 B.C.E. as a tomb for a magistrate).
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The 13 steps of the Pyramid stand for the original 13 states, and the Latin numbers on the bottom are "1776", the date of the Founding of the USA.
The other words on the great seal are "Annuit Coeptis" or "(He) has approved our undertakings" and "Novo Ordo Seclorum" or "A New Order for the Ages". i.e. that America was not explicitly tied to any of the former nations in any way. Conspiracy theorists will tell you it means "a new, secular order", but that's just not true. Some of them even quote it as "SecUlorum". But it reads, "Seclorum".
The front of the great seal (the pyramid is on the reverse, or back) is the eagle with thirteen arrows in one claw (also for the 13 states of the original union) and an olive branch for 13 leaves and 13 olives in the other (also for the original 13 states). The arrows represent war and the olive branch peace, and the eagle's head is turned towards the olive branch, signifying our national preference for peace over war.
There is a LOT more, but I'll stop now before it goes into tl;dr territory.
And I'd like to point out that there is more than one Mayan Pyramid. There are tons of them. Same with Egyptian pyramids. And there is the early pyramid, the Step Pyramid of Djoser (pronounced Zho-zer), created by stacking Mastabas on top of each other. (Mastabas being early Egyptian tombs used *before* pyramids.)
There are Pyramids in Peru and the Middle East as well, The Sudan, home of the Nubian culture, also has Pyramids. Ur is home to another stepped Pyramid, and there is one in Rome as well. (Built in 12 B.C.E. as a tomb for a magistrate).
So many pyramids, so little time!
!