A group of explorers were wandering around the jungle when one day they stumbled upon a 5,000 year old site, one with idols, a large temple and two altars, one for a fire god named Ixchulacoatl, one for a water god named Ah-Kutlikutli. After excavation, the explorers decided to make the fire and water statues face each. This defilement of the temple has angered the two gods and restarted an ancient battle between fire and water.
Artwork and photos in the park's Tower of Terror features Harrison Hightower III and Smelding claiming artifacts from around the site. Crates in the queue for Raging Spirits identify the recovered parts of the temple as coming from the, "Hightower Trust".
The ancient architecture of the attraction was inspired by Kuzco's Empire in The Emperor's New Groove.
Another version of the attraction was planned to be placed in Adventureland at Hong Kong Disneyland, but never came into fruition.