Toltec << TOHL tehk >> established an empire in the highlands of central Mexico during the A.D. 900’s. They were the dominant people in the region until 1200. The Aztec later honored the Toltec as the founders of urban civilization in the highlands. Aztec legends told about the Toltec and their capital city of Tollan.
In the 900’s, the Toltec built a major city whose ruins lie near what is now the town of Tula de Allende, about 45 miles (70 kilometers) north of Mexico City. The site is known as Tula. Some scholars think the ruins are those of the Tollan of the Aztec legends. Toltec buildings included large pyramids topped with temples. Images of Quetzalcoatl (which means Feathered Serpent) appear on several of the pyramids. Quetzalcoatl was a Toltec ruler whom the Toltec came to consider godlike.
The Toltec culture influenced Maya in the Yucatán Peninsula. Some archaeologists even think some Toltec may have migrated to the region. Some of the buildings and artwork at the prehistoric Maya city of Chichén Itzá resemble those at Tula. Images of Quetzalcoatl are displayed on several of the Maya buildings.
During the 1100’s, nomads began to cross the northern frontiers of the Toltec empire. As they settled in the Valley of Mexico, Toltec dominance ended. The invading groups included the Aztec, who gradually replaced the Toltec as the most powerful people in the Mexican highlands.
See also Tula.
