The Americas

Toltecs

The Toltecs were a Nahua people who arrived in the region of the Valley of Mexico in Central America prior to the Aztecs. Swiftly overcoming the remnants of Teotihuacan, they created an empire which flourished from about AD 900. Its capital was Tula (known as Tollan by the Aztecs), a powerful city which at its height controlled much of what is now Mexico. It was situated approximately eighty-four kilometres (fifty-two miles) south of Mexico City. Toltec influence reached as far as the Yucatan Peninsula, where they interacted with the Mayan peoples there, forming Toltec-Maya states (although probably not by means of conquest, a traditional view which has more recently been disproved to an extent).

It is not yet clear why the Toltec collapse came about but there is a theory that the highly military-orientated culture was not able to cope with population movements brought about by a long period of drought in the northern area (similar to the Hittite collapse in around 1200 BC). Information on the Toltecs is limited, and has generally been interpreted in various ways, producing mixed opinions regarding just how great this 'empire' really was.

fl late 800s

Chalchiuh Tlatonac

Alternate dates of rule: early- mid 800s.

fl c.900s

Mixcoamazatzin

Mid-late 800s.

921 - ?

Huetzin

869-?.

? - 929

Mixcoatl

?-877.

929 - 975

Ihuitimal

877-923.

c.950

Toltec civilisation flourishes as an empire is born from the city state of Tula, which conquers much of the Mexican region.

975 - 999

Topiltzin-Quetzalcoatl

923-947.

980

Topiltzin appears to greatly expand his capital at this time (although some sources claim he moves it from Tollan to Tula - impossible since they are two different names for the same place). The year 968 is an alternate date which is sometimes quoted for this event under the same king. There, he presides over what comes to be seen as a Golden Age of master artisans, creators of culture, and the creation of a true paradise on earth. The Toltecs are seen as the superhuman successors to Teotihuacan.

Toltec warriors stand guard in Tula, which is now located in the state of Hidalgo in Mexico

999

Upon his death, Topiltzin is succeeded by lesser kings who struggle to solve the growing problems of the empire, possibly induced by a period of prolonged drought.

999 - 1035

Matlacxochitl

947-983.

1035 - 1049

Nauhyotzin

983-997.

1049 - 1077

Matlaccoatzin

997-1025.

1077 - 1099

Tlilcoatzin

1025-1047.

1099 - 1174

Huemac

1047-1122. Apparently committed suicide.

c.1175

Following the death of Huemac, the Toltec empire undergoes a sudden and violent collapse. This is possibly due to a long period of drought which induces large population movements, most notably by Chichimec groups, bringing disruption to the region. The capital, Tula (which falls into the hands of barbarians in 1224), is destroyed by fighting, with some buildings being fired and others being deliberately demolished, possibly over an extended period of time. Certainly there is evidence to show that the city's population shrinks, with outlying areas being abandoned in favour of a reduced existence at the city's centre. Refugees settle in some of the towns of the southern Valley of Mexico. The city of Culhuacan survives the collapse.

13th century

Part of a general invasion into the Valley of Mexico by Nahuatl-speaking northern peoples, tribes begin to arrive on the central plateau. Keen to intermarry into surviving Toltec royalty and nobility and claim the honour of Toltec descent, four of these peoples influence the rise of the Aztec empire, the Chichimecs, the Tepanecs, the Acolhua, and the Mexica.

A direct descendant of the Toltecs is Atotoztli, fourteenth century ruler of Culhuacan.