I don't know that I'd characterize what they found as a 'flayed lord' but those Aztecs were some scary primatives. I'm surprised there haven't been more horror themed movies based on what they had going on down there.
That's true. And some sacrifice and cannibalism happened in North America as well. The Aztecs sacrificed hundreds of thousands of captured slaves for their God. Apparently, they thought that 'God' needed blood for the sun to rise in the morning.
Obviously this is in conflict with the Liberal portrayal of Native North and South Americans as being pot smoking stoner vegans who were 'Oh so in touch with the majesty of Earth'. This is a fantasy created by hippies in the 60s.
Native Americans routinely fought wars with each other, slaughtered each other, took captives and slaves, and killed wildlife indiscriminately sometime to the point of extinction. While there may have been some 'peaceful' Native American tribes, this was not the norm. Most of them were bad-ass dudes who were always ready to kill anyone for any reason.
You wouldn't last very long being 'peaceful' in those days. You would either be a slave, a sacrifice, or just generally dead so they could take whatever resources you have. There was no 'law'. There was no calling the Police. 'Defend yourself, your family, and your stuff, or die' was the prevailing rule of the land. Again, this is far from the depiction of Native Americans as peaceful Green Party Eco-warriors that is portrayed in common culture today in America.