In reverse order:
For difficulty level, the optimums are probably deity and settler. On deity you can abuse the AI for gold, workers, known tech bonus and spy steals. On settler you get significant discounts on most things. Both of those are less fun than playing emperor/immortal. I thought you played on prince for some reasons. on emperor tributing requires to much of an investment unless you have an early unit like battering ram or phalanx.
Aztec floating gardens are watermill replacement that gives 2 food, 15% more food [food, not growth] and +2 food on lakes that can be built by lakes as well as rivers. 15 % food is worth nearly twice as much food as 15% growth and if you go for aqueducts early to multiply that you should be growing faster than tradition with liberty. They are the best unique building in the game IMO, but you will grow so much that you are constrained by happiness for which Aztecs have no bonus. Because of that the Aztecs are below the top tier of civs but still very good. (My best space races finishes where with Aztecs, Poland and Korea around turns 215-225.)
If you want to try maximizing early growth then Aztecs are the way to go. However I'm not sure if that rhymes with the Jesuit plan. Maybe if you do both temple happiness and shrine happiness for your religion and finish up liberty to get meritocracy as well. Then you can grow on shrine happiness while you get aqueducts before getting libraries and temples.
If you want to push the limits on the game then Temple of Artemis food is part of that. It is cheap and 10% food in every city is more than feed the world. It is in wonders of the ancient world DLC.
About pagodas. You seemed ready to build them around turn 80 in your report and instead triggered some unnecessary prophets and missionaries. It is those that I was thinking that the pagodas replace. If you could do Pagodas instead of the last prophets and missionaries (how high did you go in the end 800?, 1200?) then you would have less ability to save faith before industrial but more faith in industrial and beyond. However, that might have been too optimistic a reading of your situation.
For difficulty level, the optimums are probably deity and settler. On deity you can abuse the AI for gold, workers, known tech bonus and spy steals. On settler you get significant discounts on most things. Both of those are less fun than playing emperor/immortal. I thought you played on prince for some reasons. on emperor tributing requires to much of an investment unless you have an early unit like battering ram or phalanx.
Aztec floating gardens are watermill replacement that gives 2 food, 15% more food [food, not growth] and +2 food on lakes that can be built by lakes as well as rivers. 15 % food is worth nearly twice as much food as 15% growth and if you go for aqueducts early to multiply that you should be growing faster than tradition with liberty. They are the best unique building in the game IMO, but you will grow so much that you are constrained by happiness for which Aztecs have no bonus. Because of that the Aztecs are below the top tier of civs but still very good. (My best space races finishes where with Aztecs, Poland and Korea around turns 215-225.)
If you want to try maximizing early growth then Aztecs are the way to go. However I'm not sure if that rhymes with the Jesuit plan. Maybe if you do both temple happiness and shrine happiness for your religion and finish up liberty to get meritocracy as well. Then you can grow on shrine happiness while you get aqueducts before getting libraries and temples.
If you want to push the limits on the game then Temple of Artemis food is part of that. It is cheap and 10% food in every city is more than feed the world. It is in wonders of the ancient world DLC.
About pagodas. You seemed ready to build them around turn 80 in your report and instead triggered some unnecessary prophets and missionaries. It is those that I was thinking that the pagodas replace. If you could do Pagodas instead of the last prophets and missionaries (how high did you go in the end 800?, 1200?) then you would have less ability to save faith before industrial but more faith in industrial and beyond. However, that might have been too optimistic a reading of your situation.
My singleplayer balance mod of BTS: https://dl.dropbox.com/s/3u6g4b2nfa74qhm...%20mod.odt?