The major building in Chichen Itza is the temple of Kukulkan. From this structure,
al things radiate. From the front runs a large ceremonial walkway, which leads to a large
well, called a cenote. Into this was thrown gems and jewels and other precious items.
Sacrificial victims were also thrown in (von Hagen, Sun, p. 168).
To the right of the temple is a large court in which they played the great ball game,
Pok-a-tok. The game was not unlike basketball, in that the players had to get a rubber ball
into a hoop, even though that hoop was 30 ft high and vertical. The players could only
use their elbws or hips. This was a big event, rivaling a sacrifice, and the spectators bet
heavily (von Hagen, Sun, 162).
To the left lay the temple of the Warriors, which contained the local market. To
the rear lay the remains of the old city (von Hagen, Sun, p. 168).
The similarities are hard to miss when seeing the two of them. The easiest example
to see are the temples. Both the temple of Kukulkan and the temple of Tula are built in
the form of the truncated pyramid. A truncated pyramid has four sides with each side
looking like a large staircase. Each Temple has a stairway on each of the four sides and an
enclosed structure at the top (von Hagen, Sun, p. 195).
The temple of the Warriors was built in the same fasion, but had two similar
features found nowhere outside of Toltec influence. On the outskirts of both temples,
there are hundreds of evenly spaced pillars used to hold up wooden roof beams. Only the
temple of the Warriors and the temple of Tula had those. The other characteristically
Toltec feature on both temples are the chac-mools. Both chac-mools are almost exactly
the same except for different facial features (von Hagen, Sun, p. 195).
Another feature similar about the two citiex is their art. In Tula, many motifs have
been found depicting marching jaguars and eagles. That very same thing has been found
in Chichen Itza (von Hagen, Sun, p. 196).
Perhaps the most important piece of information has to do with Quetzalcoatl.
Earlier, I said that he traveled to Yucatan. This is not exactly true. This has been infered
by some ironic historical events. First, around 987 A.D, Quetzalcoatl was said to have left
Tula. At almost the same time in Mayan history, the man named Kukulkan arived in the
Yucatan. The Mayas loved him so much that they made him their king. Kukulkan then
proceeded to teach them his culture. While he was doing this, the Mayas went through
their won renaissance and their culture was restarted. No doubt Kukulkan had something
to do with this (von Hagen, Sun, p. 332).
Let us try a simple thought experiment. The Mayas are considered by
archeologists to have been civilized. I do not have the time, nor the space to prove this,
so we will take it as a fact. The Mayas became civilized after Kukulkan taught them his
ways. It would follow that Kukulkan, himself, was civilized. Therefore, since he was
originally Toltec, this would make the Toltecs, themselves, civilized.
The Aztecs were by far the most popular civilization ever to arise in Mexico.
Most of the accounts of the Toltecs came frome them. They held the Toltecs in the
highest respect, even basing their own culture on them.
When the Aztecs moved in around lake Texcoco, they found the ruins of
Teotihuacan and other small cities. They were in awe of the technological level of the
builders and gave them the name “Toltec,” which means “builder” or “artist” (Tompkins,
p. 20). They then burned all the historical records and wrote their own, putting the
Toltecs in the paramount position. They believed they were the descendants of the Toltecs
(von Hagen, Aztec, p. 39).
Looking at the architecture, art, customs, and religion of the Aztecs, one finds
almost perfect simularity. The Aztecs took almost every thing from the Toltecs. They
built the same style temples, had the same gods, used the same artistic style, and
performed the same human sacrifice rituals. One even finds the familiar chac-mool atop
many of the temples.
The Toltec culture was so great that, not only did it travel throughout Mexico, but
also traveled beyond the grave.
Conclusion
Not only did the Toltecs emphasize the group and excell in technology, but they
also taught two tribes to become civilized. Emphasizing the group is a key factor in
civilized cultures. If everyone in a group works for themselves, they are limiting their own
advancement. But, if they all work for the group, the group will prosper and grow.
Technology is a necessary byproduct of civilization. When people come up with
ideas that will benifit the group, the ideas usually take the form of inventions. When
people work in groups, the individual ideas of the people travel through the generations.
These two actions, when done together, result in usable technology that benifits all.
The Toltec ideals for society worked for both the Maya and the Aztecs. These
cultures grew to be the two most well known civilizations in Mexico. This says a lot for
the Toltecs. It says that the Toltecs were the fathers of civilization.
When Cortez landed in the midst of the Aztecs, what he was witnessing was the
enduring Toltec culture. He then saw a human sacrifice and decided the fate of these
barbaric people. A civilized culture is one that does not destroy every other culture
because of different beliefs. One must wonder, which is more civilized: human sacrifice
or genocide.
One small tidbit about dates. When Quetzalcoatl sailed off to the west, he left the
Mayas with a prophesy. “On the recurrence of this date, 1-Reed, I will return to Mexico.”
I was wondering if Quetzalcoatl ever did return and did some research on the subject.
Looking at the dates, I made a startling discovery. The year 1-Reed falls on the year
1512, the year Cortez landed in Mexico. This was a haunting revelation, and can be
interpreted in many ways. One can say that it was coincidence, but I don’t choose to think
so. I think Quetzalcoatl knew what he was saying, but encrypted the message. I think he
knew what was going to happen. . .
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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Sabloff, Jeremy A. The Cities of Ancient Mexico. New York, New York: Thames and
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Tompkins, Peter. Mysteries of the Mexican Pyramids. New York: Harper & Row, Inc.,
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Townsend, Richard F. The Aztecs. New York: Thames & Hudson Inc., 1992: 46, 49,
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