--- title: Toltec Civilization author: Mark Cartwright source: https://www.worldhistory.org/Toltec_Civilization/ format: machine-readable-alternate license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) updated: 1970-01-01 --- # Toltec Civilization _Authored by [Mark Cartwright](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/markzcartwright/)_ The Toltec [civilization](https://www.worldhistory.org/civilization/) flourished in ancient central Mexico between the 10th and mid-12th centuries. Continuing the Mesoamerican heritage left to them by earlier cultures, the Toltecs built an impressive capital at Tollan. Ultimately, they passed on that heritage to civilizations such as the Aztecs, who regarded the Toltecs as a great and prosperous civilization, even claiming descent from them. Most information on the Toltec comes from [Aztec](https://www.worldhistory.org/Aztec_Civilization/) and Post-colonial texts documenting earlier oral traditions. However, these are by no means complete, and information can be coloured by the Aztec's particular reverence for all things Toltec and their delight in merging myth with fact to help establish a lineage with these old masters. Nevertheless, a careful comparison with earlier Mayan texts and the surviving archaeological record does allow for at least the main elements of this civilization to be outlined. ### Origins & Spread The Toltecs had roots in the Tolteca-Chichimeca people, who, during the 9th century, had migrated from the deserts of the north-west to Culhuacan in the Valley of Mexico. According to the Aztecs, the first Toltec leader was Ce Técpatl [Mixcoatl](https://www.worldhistory.org/Mixcoatl/) (One Flint Cloud Serpent, i.e. the Milky Way), and his son Ce Acatl Topiltzin (One Reed Sacrificer, born in either 935 or 947) would go on to gain fame as a great ruler and acquire the name of the great [god](https://www.worldhistory.org/God/) [Quetzalcoatl](https://www.worldhistory.org/Quetzalcoatl/) ('Feathered Serpent') amongst his titles. The first settlement of the Toltecs was at Culhuacan, but they later established a capital at Tollan (or Tula, meaning 'place of reeds', a general Mesoamerican phrase to apply to all large settlements). The [city](https://www.worldhistory.org/city/) grew to an area of 14 km² and acquired a population of between 30,000 and 40,000. The heart of the city was laid out in a grid pattern and it is remarkably similar to the Mayan city of [Chichen Itza](https://www.worldhistory.org/Chichen_Itza/). Intriguingly, the [Maya](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Maya/) also had a version of a cultural hero known as the 'Feathered Serpent', translated as [Kukulcan](https://www.worldhistory.org/Kukulcan/) and contemporary with the Toltec Quetzalcóatl; this and architectural similarities, suggest that there was a close cultural link between the two civilizations. ### Tollan The Tollan of Aztec [mythology](https://www.worldhistory.org/mythology/) was renowned for its sumptuous palaces and awe-inspiring buildings made from [gold](https://www.worldhistory.org/gold/), jade, turquoise, and quetzal feathers. The city was also thought to have been flooded with wealth generated by the gifted Toltec craftsmen, highly skilled in metallurgy and [pottery](https://www.worldhistory.org/pottery/) - so much so that their potters were said to have 'taught the clay to lie' (Coe, 156) and later Aztec [metal](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/metal/)-workers and jewellers were even known as *tolteca*. The Toltecs were also credited with mastering nature and producing huge maize crops and natural coloured cotton of red, yellow, green, and blue. Unsurprisingly, following centuries of looting, no artefacts survive to attest this material wealth except indications that the Toltecs did do a major [trade](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/trade/) in obsidian (used for blades and arrowheads) which was mined from nearby Pachuca. [ ![Pyramid B, Tollan](https://www.worldhistory.org/img/r/p/750x750/1425.jpg?v=1727983744) Pyramid B, Tollan HJPD (Public Domain) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/1425/pyramid-b-tollan/ "Pyramid B, Tollan")The archaeological site of Tollan, sitting on a limestone promontory, although not quite as splendid as the legend, nevertheless, has an impressive number of surviving monuments. These include two large [pyramids](https://www.worldhistory.org/pyramid/), a collonaded walkway, a large [palace](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/palace/) building, and two ball-courts, all surrounded by a dense area of urban housing. The domestic housing is arranged in groups of up to five flat-roofed residences with each group centred on a courtyard with a single altar and the whole surrounded by a [wall](https://www.worldhistory.org/wall/). Surviving architectural [sculpture](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Sculpture/) on the pyramids includes large columns, each consisting of four drums, carved as warriors standing atop the five tiers of the 10 m high [Pyramid](https://www.worldhistory.org/pyramid/) B. The warriors would once have held up a roof structure. The warriors are dressed ready for [battle](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/battle/) with a drum headdress and butterfly pectoral and each holds an *atlatl* or spear-thrower at their side. In addition, feathered-snake columns survive from the original doorway. The warrior columns are near-identical and suggest sophisticated workshops capable of mass production. Friezes run around the pyramids and a free-standing 40 m long L-shaped wall (known as a *coatepantli* and a Toltec innovation). They show scenes with animals such as the jaguar, wolf, and coyote (symbols associated with a warlike people like the Toltecs), and sacrifice (especially rattlesnakes and skeletons intertwined). There are also images of feathered creatures (perhaps jaguars) and eagles with hearts in their mouths. Tollan also provides the first examples of *chacmools*, the reclining stone warriors clutching a vessel on their stomach to receive sacrificial offerings for the gods. These would become a common feature of temples in Mesoamerica. At Tollan they are positioned beside bench-thrones atop the pyramid [temple](https://www.worldhistory.org/temple/). [ ![Tollan (Tula)](https://www.worldhistory.org/img/r/p/750x750/1423.jpg?v=1604196902) Tollan (Tula) Gengiskanhg (CC BY-SA) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/1423/tollan-tula/ "Tollan (Tula)")### Decline What ended the Toltec civilization's regional dominance is not known. A warlike people, no doubt conquering surrounding tribes and imposing tribute without any concern for integration into the Toltec political and religious [culture](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/culture/), the '[empire](https://www.worldhistory.org/empire/)' may well have simply disintegrated when put under the strain of such natural phenomena as a sustained drought. Internal disputes may also have led to the break up of the power structure, and this is hinted at in the legendary stories of battles between the gods Quetzalcoatl and [Tezcatlipoca](https://www.worldhistory.org/Tezcatlipoca/), intertwined with historical figures. What is more certain is that in the mid-12th century, Tollán shows signs of violent destruction; many architectural columns and statues were burnt and purposely buried and the site was systematically looted by the Aztecs. Led by the final Toltec leader Huemac, the remnants of the Toltec people re-settled at Chapultepec on the west banks of Lake [Texcoco](https://www.worldhistory.org/Texcoco/), an event traditionally dated either 1156 or 1168. ### Legacy The Toltec name carried a certain prestige and they were very highly regarded by the Maya and the Aztecs, in particular, who seem to have copied many aspects of Toltec religious practices and art and looked on the Toltec period as a golden era when such wonders as [writing](https://www.worldhistory.org/writing/), [medicine](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/medicine/), and metallurgy were invented. These may well have been invented earlier and by others but more certain is the Toltec influence on [architecture](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/architecture/) and sculpture. Images of recognisable deities at Tollan which would later appear in the [Aztec pantheon](https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1034/aztec-pantheon/) include Centeotl, Xochiquetzal, [Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli](https://www.worldhistory.org/Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli/) and the feathered serpent identified with Quetzalcoatl. Stone carvings of *cuauhxicalli* vessels and *chacmools* used in sacrifices and also *tzompantli* (skull racks) all attest to the influence the Toltecs would have on their more famous successors. In any case, whatever the actual legacy of the people of Tollan, for the Aztecs it was the Toltecs and no other that they sought to claim descent from, and the magnitude of their reverence and respect is evidenced in the Aztec expression *Toltecayotl* or 'to have a Toltec heart' which meant to be worthy and to excel in all things. #### Editorial Review This human-authored definition has been reviewed by our editorial team before publication to ensure accuracy, reliability and adherence to academic standards in accordance with our [editorial policy](https://www.worldhistory.org/static/editorial-policy/). ## Bibliography - [Almere Read, K. *Mesoamerican Mythology.* Oxford University Press, USA, 2002.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0195149092/) - [Coe, M.D. *Mexico.* Thames & Hudson, 2013.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0500290768/) - [Jones, D. *Mythology of Aztec & Maya.* Southwater, 2007.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/1844763978/) - [Miller, M.E. *The Art of Mesoamerica.* Thames & Hudson, 2012.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0500204144/) - [Miller, M.E. *The Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya.* Thames & Hudson, 1993.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0500050686/) - [Soustelle, J. *Daily Life of the Aztecs.* Dover Publications, 2011.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0486424855/) - Townsend, R.F. *The Aztecs.* Thames & Hudson, London, 2009 ## About the Author Mark is WHE’s Publishing Director and has an MA in Political Philosophy (University of York). He is a full-time researcher, writer, historian and editor. Special interests include art, architecture and discovering the ideas that all civilizations share. ## Timeline - **250 CE - 950 CE**: The Classic [Maya](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Maya/) Period which saw the height of the [Maya Civilization](https://www.worldhistory.org/Maya_Civilization/) in [cities](https://www.worldhistory.org/city/) such as [Chichen Itza](https://www.worldhistory.org/Chichen_Itza/), [Palenque](https://www.worldhistory.org/Palenque/), [Tikal](https://www.worldhistory.org/Tikal/), [Copan](https://www.worldhistory.org/Copan/) and [Uxmal](https://www.worldhistory.org/Uxmal/). - **c. 900 CE - c. 1150 CE**: The [Toltec civilization](https://www.worldhistory.org/Toltec_Civilization/) flourishes in Mesoamerica. - **935 CE - 947 CE**: Ce Acatl Topiltzin the legendary leader of the Toltecs was born. - **c. 1150 CE**: The [Toltec](https://www.worldhistory.org/Toltec_Civilization/) capital of Tollan is systematically destroyed. - **1156 CE - 1168 CE**: The remaining Toltecs led by Huemac flee Tollan and re-settle at Chapultepec on the west banks of Lake [Texcoco](https://www.worldhistory.org/Texcoco/). - **c. 1345 CE - 1521 CE**: The [Aztec civilization](https://www.worldhistory.org/Aztec_Civilization/) flourishes in Mesoamerica. ## Cite This Work ### APA Cartwright, M. (2018, April 27). Toltec Civilization. *World History Encyclopedia*. [https://www.worldhistory.org/Toltec\_Civilization/](https://www.worldhistory.org/Toltec_Civilization/) ### Chicago Cartwright, Mark. "Toltec Civilization." *World History Encyclopedia*, April 27, 2018. [https://www.worldhistory.org/Toltec\_Civilization/](https://www.worldhistory.org/Toltec_Civilization/). ### MLA Cartwright, Mark. "Toltec Civilization." *World History Encyclopedia*, 27 Apr 2018, [https://www.worldhistory.org/Toltec\_Civilization/](https://www.worldhistory.org/Toltec_Civilization/). ## License & Copyright Submitted by [Mark Cartwright](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/markzcartwright/ "User Page: Mark Cartwright"), published on 27 April 2018. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.en). 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