Toltec Empire

Quick Facts: Who was Toltec Empire?

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Toltec Empire

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A powerful Mesoamerican empire whose influence spanned the Classic and Postclassic periods.

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2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

The Toltec Empire, Toltec Kingdom or Altepetl Tollan was a political entity in pre-Hispanic Mexico that was associated with the Toltec culture. It existed through the Classic and Postclassic periods of Mesoamerican chronology, but gained most of its power in the Postclassic. During this time its sphere of influence reached as far away as the Yucatan Peninsula. The capital city of this empire was Tollan-Xicocotitlan, while other important cities included Tulancingo and Huapalcalco. Oral traditions about the origin of Toltecs were collected by historians like Mariano de Veytia and Carlos María de Bustamante in the early 19th century.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

According to said accounts, there was a city named Tlachicatzin in a country ruled by the city of Huehuetlapallan, whose inhabitants called the people of Tlachicatzin "Toltecah", for their fame as dexterous artisans. In 583, led by two notables named Chalcaltzin and Tlacamihtzin, the Toltecah rebelled against their overlords in Huehuetlapallan and after thirteen years of resistance they ended up fleeing Tlachicatzin. Some of the Toltecah later founded a new settlement called Tlapallanconco in 604. These narrations about the origin of the Toltecs have been disputed by archaeologists and historians like Manuel Gamio, Enrique Florescano and Laurette Séjourné; who had identified the Toltec city of Tollan with Teotihuacan, although this hypothesis has been criticized by many scholars, most notably historian Miguel León-Portilla. According to the Anales de Cuauhtitlan, the Toltec people came to be in the year 1-rabbit (674), the year they set up a theocracy to govern themselves, which was later reformed into a monarchy around the year 700 with the enthronement of Mimixcoamazatzin.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

(Some authors such as John Bierhorst have translated the Anales de Cuauhtitlan as stating that the Toltecs arrived in Tula in 726 and created their monarchy in 752). The dynastic history of the Toltecs was recorded by several pre-Columbian and Colonial sources, although there are contradictions in most of them. Some sources say that a man named Huemac was the leader of the Toltecs when they arrived at Tula, while others begin the list of Toltec rulers, or tlatoani, with Chalchiutlanetzin, Mixcoamatzatzin, or even Cē Ācatl Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl. Historians like Alfredo Chavero investigated the numerous proposed lists of Toltec rulers presented in the works of authors like Fernando de Alva Ixtlilxóchitl and Juan de Torquemada, and in anonymous sources like the Codex Chimalpopoca. According to Chavero, his research led him to conclude that most of the traditional recounts of the Toltec royalty are not reliable because they were recorded in a style similar to the medieval Chansons de geste, something that became evident once he realised that most of the reigns of the Toltec monarchs lasted 52 years, which is exactly the duration of the 52 year-long cycle of the Mesoamerican calendars, known in nahuatl as Xiuhmolpilli.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Toltec Empire

True or False: “The Toltec Empire was solely centered in the region corresponding to modern-day Chichen Itza.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): While they had significant influence there, their capital city was Tollan-Xicocotitlan, and their sphere of influence reached as far as the Yucatan Peninsula.

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