The Toltec People

By: Zac Vance

Location• Tula, the capital of the Toltec Empire was located approximately 100 miles above Mexico City.

• The empire stretched much of Central America.

• Its influence reached even further. Many places in America show signs of Toltec culture.

Becoming a Power

• The Toltec nation came about after the fall of the Teotihuacán people.

• In the late 10th century the Toltec people established their capitol at Tula.

• It is believed that the Toltec people were Teotihuacán people who made Tula their home after the fall of their own.

Art

• The art of the Toltec people reflected the mystic aspect of their religion.

• Serpents and skulls were very common images.

• Their architecture was rather rough.• Much of the Toltec art influenced the

Aztec and Mayan forms.

Economy

• The economy was based for the most part on agriculture.

• Obsidian mining and trade were also important.

• The nation was very involved with trade and especially turquoise trade along the turquoise road.

• The trading helped spread the Toltec way of life as well as integrate others into their own.

Culture and Science

• The culture of Toltec was based around war.

• It was a mix of many previous and surrounding cultures.

• The mixture often occurred when the Toltec Empire would take over another area and then the two areas would integrate.

• The Toltec thought that science and religion was the same thing since it was all governed by the universe.

• They had an advanced calendar and charted the night sky very accurately.

Religion• The religion of the

Toltec people was polytheistic.

• The absorbed much of their religion from neighboring peoples and their father race, the Teotihuacáns.

• Of the many deities they worshiped Quetzalcoatl and Tezatlipoca were the most important.

• Human sacrifice was common.

Quetzalcoatl• God of culture, fertility,

learning, holiness, philosophy, and gentility.

• It was worshiped by the Toltec people and their greatest ruler was the priest of him.

• Religion and political rule went hand in hand.

Tezatlipoca• God of material things, the

night, beauty, the north, and war.

• He was Quetzalcoatl’s sworn enemy.

Quetzalcoatl

Tezcatlipoca

Politics

• The political aspects of Toltec life were dominated by ritual and religion.

• Topiltzin was the greatest of all the rulers and he championed Quetzalcoatl.

• He became so synonymous with Quetzalcoatl that the names were often confused later on in legend.

• The political system of the Toltec nation was looked up to by many other nations.

• The Aztec people even tried to tie the two together through history. The only problem is that much of it is believed to be fabricated.

The Fall

• The Toltec Empire fell around 1200 CE.

• The nomadic Chichimec people are believed to have annihilated the Toltec nation due to cultural differences.

• Many believe that some of the Toltec people fled to Cholula where they held out for another few centuries until the conquistadors came through.