Tula
Her excellent ruins call to adventurous travelers from all over the world.
Downtown Tula a semi-central zocalo, a centrally located cathedral and several commercial streets. To reach the centro just head toward the cathedral from whatever route interests you. The cathedral is visible from everywhere and is near everything. Juarez runs past the side of the cathedral to the zocalo.
Tula is one of the best studied archaeological sites in Mexico, archaeologists from all the world have visited it. Considered the first large settlement in northern Mesoamerica and once the Toltecs’ greatest city.
Tula is believed to be founded during the 9th century by the legendary Ce Actatl Topiltzin (Quetzalcoatl). Ce Actatl Topiltzin, the most venerated kin in indigena history and mythology. Under his rule, Tula grew to hold thousands of inhabitants and developed an architecture that would serve as the prototype for Aztec cities.
| The story goes that after many peaceful years at Tula he abandoned the city in 884 because of growing conflicts with neighbors. Leading many of his followers to the Gulf coast and heading out to sea off the coast of Veracruz vowing to return in the year 1 Reed. Several kings followed expanding Tula into the center of the mighty Toltec empire. Hundreds of years later, Cortes arrived in Veracruz on the year 1 Reed. The legend is that because of his skin color and this strange coincidence of timing, the Aztecs believed the conquistador was the same light-skinned Quetzalcoatl who fled to the east so many years before which caused Aztec Emperor Moctezuma to warmly welcome Cortes. |
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The Toltecs, whose name means builders in Nahuatl, relied on irrigation for their agricultural success modeled their architecture after the sytle of Teotihuacan. During the 200 year long Toltec rein after drought and crop failures weakened the Toltec capital in 1165 the Chichimecs attacked and destroyed Tula. The ruins of the city, eroded due to the poor rock quality found in the area, as well as poor maintenance because of the Toltecs sporadic internal instability. Quetzalcoatl urged the Toltecs to evacuate the city prompting some residents to bury their possessions and move to the region called Tlapallan. Tula was eventually absorbed by the Aztec empire. Aztec ceramics and pottery can be found scattered among the ruins.
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From the entrance area a path winds past cacti leading through some vendor stalls before arriving at the main plaza. The first structure you see on your right (north) when you arrive at the main plaza is Ballcourt #1 which is just north of the large Edificio de los Atlantes. The Ballcourt, which is almost 70m long, held the depiction of a ball player in ritual dress which is now located at the Museo Nacional de Antropologia in Mexico City. To your left (south) is the monumental Edificio de los Atlantes (Pyramid B). Starkly standing against the horizon high above the rest of the site, the Atlantes emblemize Tula on covers of National Geographic and on posters in tourist offices throughout Mexico. The statues representing warriors were originally standing inside a temple holding religious figures. The Atlantes are evidence of the change from theocratic to military rule in Tula during the Postclassic period. On the pyramid’s northern side and is El Coatepantli (The Wall of Snakes). This wall depicting jaguars and serpents in procession impressed the Aztecs so much that they built copies of it in the plazas of their cities. Reliefs of serpents feasting on humans adorn the adjacent wall. |
Immediately west of the Edifico de los Atlantes is the Palacio Quemado (Burnt Palace). Believed to have been an administrative center in ancient Tula. A chacmool (messenger to the gods) was originally found in the central patio. Like many other indigenous cultures, the Toltecs built their largest buildings on the eastern boundary of the plaza to witness the sunrise. Toltec leaders attempted to maintain sociopolitical control by inspiring awe and linking natural phenomena to the government. Tula’s Templo Principal once towered over the others. Because of deliberate destruction by the Chicimecs and others following Tula’s adandonment at the end of the 12th century, it now pales in comparison to the Edificio de los Atlantes. Temple Principal was most likely once aborned with a massive scuptural slab found nearby which is covered with images of Quetzalcoatl in his manifestation as Tlahuizcaltec Uhtli (The Morning Star). Adjoining the ballcourt on the interior of the plaza is El Tzompantli, a small platform built by the Aztecs. Tzompantli means “place of skulls” and was used to display the victims of sacrifice.
