TULA Post-Classic Period 900-1150AD

TOLTECS AND AZTECS Nahua: Toltecatl “master artisan” named by the Aztecs. The Aztecs thought that Tula was the birthplace of civilized life and much of their cultural heritage. The Aztecs also believed that Tula was the final resting place of Huitzilopochtli, the most important god for the Aztecs! Huitzilopochtli was also a war god, that in Mexica mythology would lead the Aztecs to Mexico City.

WHO WERE THE TOLTECS• Their civilization flourished at the end of

Teotihuacan • The majority of Tula had already been

sacked and burned by the arrival of the Aztecs in early 1400s

• Militaristic society with a leader who was believed to be half-divine called Quetzalcoatl.

• A new architectural element, the coatepantli is introduced

• The Aztecs claimed the Toltecs were master craftsmen.

• Their influence traveled down to the Yucatan and Central America

• In Tula, we have the first evidence of the use of a tzompantli

TOLTECSThe Toltecs neighborhoods surrounded the religious plaza. Barrios separated people based on artistic specialty and ethnic groupAt its height Tula had around 40-60,000 people. Toltecs were a merchant based society that controlled a large area of Mesoamerica with a large network of trade and tribute. The warfare identity they would become famous for was mostly due to maintaining their trade and tribute routes. (from New Mexico down to Central America)Their economy was based on the wholesale of raw material such as obsidian, basalt and jade.

RELIGION AND GODSThe Toltecs participated in a variety of religious cults from across MexicoSeveral instances of architecture at Tula site are dedicated to specific Central Mexican deitiesFertility gods had special importance in arid HidalgoToltec Pantheon of gods:• Quetzalcoatl (Plumed Serpent)• Ehecatl (wind god)• Tlaloc (Rain, Lightning, Storms)• Tezcatlipoca (Divinity, Fate)

PALACIO QUEMADO“BURNT PALACE”Called the Burnt Palace due to arson3 Ritual chambers with isolated entrances6 storage rooms to store ritual instruments and giftsRounded and geometric pillarsA sunken patio or impluvium in each chamberRitual chambers used for autosacrifice, astronomy and meeting area for ruling elite and guestsThe colonnade protects the single staircase of Pyramid B, restricting access to the summit of the pyramid.

MURALS FROM THE PALACIO

QUEMADO• Stone benches with carved reliefs

line the walls of Palacio Quemado in all 3 ritual chambers

• One carving shows a procession of priest warriors being led by a king adorned as the rain god Tlaloc

• Aztecs removed facades of some of these stone benches at Tula and reused them in Tenochtitlan

• Benches were used as sitting areas for priests, guests and caciques, also for temporarily placing ritual instruments and copal

PYRAMID B• Like many of the temples and

palaces at Tula Grande, Pyramid B once possessed a decorated stucco roof

• Dominated by carved reliefs of eagles, jaguars and plumed serpents

• Built by the Toltecs for the warrior caste, non sacrificial

• Stucco roof housed the 4 Atlantes statues at its summit

PYRAMID B, AS IT MAY HAVE LOOKED A THOUSAND YEARS AGO

ATLANTES Atlantean statue of a soldier-noble. In one hand the figure carries an atlatl (spear-thrower) and the other holds a container for copal incense. The butterfly emblem on his chest indicates he is member of the Toltec warrior-elite. The statue, in four sections of stone, stands an imposing 4.6 meters high (15 ft.). His rigid, erect posture, with eyes staring off into the distance, mark him not only as a soldier but as a Toltec.

• These sections show how the Toltecs fitted the stones together to assemble the columns supporting the roof structure.

• The nobs on top fit into corresponding holes in the bottom of other sections.

• Some of the columns are cylindrical and others are square.

• Most are covered with relief carvings of plant-life and animals.

• These two sections are each about 1.2 meters high (4 ft.) and .6 meters thick (2 ft.).

PYRAMID CPyramid C was once the most important religious structure at Tula. The style of this pyramid shows a continuity with the Pyramids of the Sun and Moon at Teotihuacan, the great empire which ended shortly before the rise of the Toltecs. At one time there was a temple on top of Pyramid C but it was dismantled and removed by the Aztecs who made pilgrimages here from the Valley of Mexico, where they had built their own city of Tenochtitlan.The pyramids at Teotihuacan and Tula are spaced exactly the same!

COATEPANTLIThe Coatepantli, the "Wall of Snakes," runs along the rear of Pyramid BRattlesnake figures belch skeleton figures.The image is repeated all along one panel of the wall from one end to the other. It represents human sacrifice.The coatepantli, the first in Mesoamerica, surrounded the walls of Pyramid B constituting a sacred space/parameter. This tradition would be adopted by the Aztecs who built one around their entire ceremonial plaza. This relief shows us a personification of duality. The serpent- from the earth- is regurgitating death in order to create life.

BALL COURT #2 AND TZOMPANTLI

BALL COURT #2In general all ballcourts are the same shape: a long narrow alley flanked by two walls with horizontal, vertical, and sloping faces. Even though the playing area in early ballcourts were open-ended, later ballcourts had enclosed end-zones, giving the structure of an I if viewed from aboveBall court 2 is the smaller of 2 ballcourts at TulaOfferings were found buried in the center of Ball court 2, a common practice at ballcourts across Mesoamerica. (retired balls etcs). Ball court had religious associations with Tlaloc.

HUMAN SACRIFICEHISTORIA TOLTECA-CHICHIMECAFrom Historia Tolteca-Chichimeca. 1550. This image shows the existence of "arrowing sacrifice" and "gladiatory sacrifice" since the early Post-Classic period among the Tolteca-Chichimeca peoples. This and many other traditions from them will be adopted by the Aztecs.

TZOMPANTLI The Tzompantli at Tula Grande is quite large, measuring 59.8 meters (196 ft.) by 11.48 meters (37.5 ft.). Its function related to human sacrificeIts purpose was to intimidate and also to display the product of frequent human sacrifice practiced by the ToltecsMost of these victims were war-captives! The section would be one of many spanning the entire length of the tzompantli

CHACMOOLBasalt sculpture depicting a reclining figure with its head facing 90 degrees from the front, supporting itself on its elbows and supporting a bowl or a disk upon its stomachThese figures possibly symbolized slain warriors carrying offerings to the gods; the bowl upon the chest was used to hold sacrificial offerings, including pulque, tamales, tortillas, tobacco, turkeys, feathers and incenseThe chacmool wears the Toltec nose-plug and carries a sacrificial knife strapped to the upper armPyramid B houses the first recorded chacmools in highland Mexico at its base

LA CORAZA DE TULA (BREASTPLATE OF TULA)PRECLASSIC 650-900ADThe so called “coraza de Tula” was discovered in the Palacio Quemado. It was part of a complex ritual offering that included marine objects such as: sea shells and snail shells. It was located inside an adobe box with yellow pigments. Without a doubt, this vest-breastplate, was only used by the Toltec elite.Mythical figures like Tlaloc have also been depicted wearing this article. Note: the shells from this breastplate are from the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific! Indicating the vast network of Toltec trade.

PLUMBATE-WARE JARPOST-CLASSIC PERIODDuring the Toltec era a distinctive type of pottery known as plumbate ware was widely distributed throughout Mesoamerica. Lead glaze that leaves a glossy, metallic appearance. Head-coyote, piece of Plumbate pottery located in Tula in the mid-1950’s. Covered with mother of pearl tiles, it represents the face of a bearded character that appears between the jaws of a coyote, whose teeth are made of bone.