This trip was to celebrate our 46th wedding anniversary. And afterwards, we ate one of our favorite places in Tequis. We have often thought about a 50th anniversary party at one of the pyramids. We’ll see…….
Tula was the capital city of the Toltec civilization, native to central Mexico. They were prominent in the area from around 850 to 1150 ce. They existed between the time of the original builders of Teotihuacan and the Mexica (aztecs) who later rebuilt it. They spoke nahuatl, and they would have a large amount of influence on the coming Aztec culture.
Tula was a city of about 3 square miles with a central public area that had a plaza that would hold about 100,000 people with shops, 2 ball courts, a palace with meeting halls, a couple of pyramid temples and the main step pyramid with 5 levels, dedicated to Quetzalcoatl, the serpent god. The Pyramid of Quetzalcoatl had a series of basalt columns, including 5 Toltec warriors that held up a roof. The columns were 13 feet tall, and resemble the warriors erected at Chichen Itza in the Yucatan. Next to the main pyramid is an alley that seperates it from the remains of what might have been a palace for the ruler of Tula. They have excavated three large rooms that had a bench along the inside walls with thrones in the center. In the covered courtyard, was a reflecting pond that reflected the stars.
We were fortunate to meet several of the workers digging there. They had been digging there for 20 years. They took us to their storage area to show us what they had found and were getting ready to send to the museum in Mexico City. I held in my hands a 1200 year old skull that had been part of a burial site found under one of the homes being excavated there, as it was the custom at that time to bury their dead under their houses. They explained how the site had been destroyed and had been looted by the Aztecs and the Spanish and latter day robbers. But they were piecing it back together as they dig.
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