- What was the Toltec culture?
- History of the Toltec culture
- Location of the Toltecs
- Contributions of the Toltec culture
- General characteristics of the Toltec culture
- Toltec culture religion
- Toltec culture economy
We explain what the Toltec culture was, its history, religion, economy and other characteristics. In addition, his main contributions.
The Toltecs were admired as builders by all later cultures.What was the Toltec culture?
The Toltec culture is one of the many pre-Columbian civilizations of Mesoamerica, which inhabited the area of present-day Mexico and its development spanned part of the Mesoamerican classic and post-classic periods, that is, between 800 AD. and 1200 AD
In the Nahuatl language (Aztec-Mexican) Toltec means “master builders”, a concept that is related to the mythical character of its architecture, especially, the buildings of the capital Tollan-Xicocotitlan.
His religious and astronomical knowledge influenced most of the Indigenous villages Mesoamericans, who considered the Toltec lineage as a sign of I respect and authority.
Other cultures:
| Teotihuacan culture | Mayan culture |
| Aztec culture | Greek culture |
| Olmec culture | Totonac culture |
| Zapotec culture | Mixtec culture |
History of the Toltec culture
The Toltecs had roots in the Toltec-Chichimeca people and during the 9th century AD. migrated from the deserts from the northwest to Culhuacán in the Valley of Mexico.
There they established the first settlement, the town of Tollan or Tula, which means "place of reeds", an ancient Mesoamerican expression that refers to all the large settlements. The city of Tula grew to an area of fourteen square kilometers and acquired a population approximately forty thousand inhabitants.
The sociopolitical organization of the Toltecs was monarchical and of great military power, with which they fought and conquered neighboring lands. The first Toltec leader was Ce Tecpatl Mixcoatl.
His son Ce Acatl Topiltzin, born in the early 900 century AD, gained fame as a great ruler who wielded more peaceful and prosperous influences on the people. That time was considered the golden age of Tula.
It is unknown exactly how the end of the Toltec civilization was, although some hypothesis indicate that it could have been a consequence of natural phenomena (such as sustained droughts in the weather), added to internal disputes of can (There would be evidence, among the legendary stories, about a battle between the gods Quetzalcóatl and Tezcatlipoca).
Furthermore, in the middle of the 12th century A.D. under the Huemac government, the last Leader Toltec, the city of Tula was systematically sacked and raped by the Aztecs, with evidence of columns and statues being deliberately burned and buried.
Location of the Toltecs
The Toltec culture spread from the city of Tula.At first, the Toltecs were a nomadic people, which led them to travel several regions. At the beginning of 800 AD They settled after founding the city of Tula, located 60 km from what is now Mexico City.
Later they expanded to the outskirts of that city. Despite not having occupied a vast territory, they exerted a strong influence on the others communities and in the development of large cultures later.
Contributions of the Toltec culture
The Toltec name had a certain prestige, so other civilizations (such as the mayan and the aztecs) appreciated Toltec practices regarding the art, the religion, writing, medicine and the work of artisans. The Aztecs used the expression toltecayotl which means "to have a Toltec heart", which was equivalent to being worthy and excelling in all actions.
Toltec artisans were famous for their great skill and set standards that other Mexican civilizations would try to follow. They were advanced potters and metallurgical experts who worked metals (like gold) and precious stones (like obsidian) that they used mainly for the manufacture of weapons.
Also, they stood out in the architecture: Although the pyramids existed in Mexico long before the Toltecs, they managed to improve the sculpture of the columns, friezes and other architectural details, at much higher levels.
General characteristics of the Toltec culture
The Toltec culture was characterized by:
- Your commercial network. The Toltecs they traded textile and ceramic products with close and distant neighbors, although on a smaller scale compared to the commercial network of the Mayan empire. Ceramic samples have been found in very distant places, such as Nicaragua and the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.
- His people of warriors. The Toltecs were religious warriors who spread the cult of their god Quetzalcóatl in all corners of their empire. The warriors wore chest plates, a small shield on one arm, used several short weapons and a very heavy curved one, similar to what we know as an ax.
- His practices of human sacrifice. The Toltecs left great evidence about their religious practices, which they performed on a regular basis in order to satisfy their gods. One of the most outstanding is the statue of Chac Mool, made up of the figure of a reclining human holding a bowl, where different offerings were deposited for the gods, including human sacrifices.
- His practices of worship to Quetzalcóatl. The Toltecs did not create the cult of the god Quetzalcóatl. Its representation with the images of feathered serpents dates back to the ancients olmec, the first great Mesoamerican culture. However, it was the Toltecs who proliferated the worship of the god in various territories, from Tula to Yucatán.
- Its artists and sculptors of maximum greatness. The Toltecs were noted for their sculptures, such as the statues of the Atlanteans that represented the warriors and the columns that show the rulers dressed for the war. Despite the fact that the archaeological site of Tula has been repeatedly looted, the vestiges of the greatness of its art have survived.
- Your connection to Chichén Itzá. The Toltecs settled in Tula (north of present-day Mexico City). However, the city of Chichén Itzá (in Yucatán) shares similarities with the Toltec city, architectural and thematic in nature that go beyond the mutual worship of the gods. Some archaeologists assume that the Toltecs conquered Chichen Itza or that exiled nobles settled there and spread their knowledge.
- Its mysterious decline. The Toltecs were aggressive and violent. That suggests that around AD 1150 The city of Tula was burned in retaliation, both by the neighboring states or tribes of Chichimeca, as well as by civil wars or the conflicts internal
- Its hidden treasures. The Toltecs disappeared almost a thousand years ago. However, after the numerous looting (first by the Aztecs and then by the Spanish) buried treasures could still be found in the territory they inhabited. In 1993 a decorative chest was found containing the famous "cuirass of Tula", an armor made of seashells.
Toltec culture religion
The religion practiced by the Toltecs was polytheistic. However, they worshiped two gods in particular: Quetzalcóatl and Tezcatlipoca. They had different ceremonial centers (where they practiced rituals) and one of the most important was “El Palacio Quemado”.
Several pyramids served as temples for the various gods but, as a result of the looting, it is difficult to know the history of each structure. It can only be identified that the temples were built with an intentional orientation, with a specific direction from east to west, accompanying the movement of the Sun and of the Moon.
Toltec culture economy
The Toltec economy was based on the farming, through extensive crops supplied by a complex system of irrigation canals. They grew cotton, maguey, corn, chili, and beans. Crafts and precious stone work were also part of its economic development.
They were characterized by being large merchants, being able to stock up on other raw Materials that they got through the war with the nearby towns.
Subsistence based on farming was a recurring problem in the arid Toltec region, where despite the fact that irrigation was practiced whenever possible, the continuous population growth it was a great concern.
During times of drought, the commerce of neighboring towns alone was not enough to supply all the Toltecs. Therefore, legends suggest that famine caused by decreased rainfall led to civil war and ultimately the abandonment of the city of Tula.