In the eastern orthodox church icons were

An icon (from Greek εἰκών eikōn "image") is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, from Eastern Christianity and certain Eastern Catholic churches. The most common subjects include Christ, Mary, saints and/or angels.

In the Eastern Orthodox Church icons were the words curved more beautifully to form the different designs and the after painting them with the unique form of colors these artistic works were attributed to be more of a religious artifacts that had more value inside the region.While, there were professionals who had the sense to curve these words and make the greatest of artistic works out of the given information that they had and then the free folk treated all the artistic work with a different sense of religious affairs and with a eye of respect towards such artists.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

One of the things that allowed native americans in mexico to settle cities larger than those in areas to the north was "b. the development of cities that were built by an earlier civilizations," since mexico had been the home of some of the world's most advanced civilizations before the columbian invasion