Tula Grande (Tollan)
Tollan-Xicocotitlan · Archaeological Zone of Tula · Tula
Early Postclassic 850–1160 CE (Tollan apogee 950–1150)·Toltec (Tolteca-Chichimeca, Nahua-affiliated)·🇲🇽 Hidalgo, Mexico
About
About Tula Grande (Tollan)
Capital of Toltec Empire (Tollan, 950–1160 CE) spanning 16 km² on Malinche Hill: Pyramid B (Temple of the Morning Star) crowned by four 4.6 m basalt Atlante warrior columns on coatepantli (serpent wall), Pyramid C (largest, 32 m high), Palacio Quemado (Burnt Palace) with square pillars and low benches, and Coatepantli frieze with feathered serpents. Archaeology of Jorge Acosta 1940s; linked to Aztec Tollan legend and Chichén Itzá Toltec hypothesis.
Why it mattersType-site for Postclassic Toltec culture and militaristic iconography ancestral to Aztec myths of Tollan/Quetzalcoatl.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Whether Tula Atlantes represent Toltec warriors or proof of Tula–Chichén Itzá exchange vs independent parallel
- 02Why Burnt Palace burned – conquest or ritual termination
Theories
- 01Tollan as Aztec mythic archetype retrojected onto Tula by 15th-century Aztecs aligning legitimization
- 02Chichén Itzá–Tula contact: mercantile-military network not conquest, per new ceramic sourcing
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.850–1160 CE; Pyramid B Atlantes c.1000–1100
- Period
- Early Postclassic 850–1160 CE (Tollan apogee 950–1150)
- Culture
- Toltec (Tolteca-Chichimeca, Nahua-affiliated)
- Purpose
- Imperial capital, warrior cult center and craft (obsidian, ceramics) production hub
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c.850–1160 CE; Pyramid B Atlantes c.1000–1100
Initial construction
c. 1473 CE
Major expansion
On the ground
Structures & features
20.0630° N · 99.3410° W · 2050 m · 3 mapped features
Pyramid B – Atlantes (Temple of Morning Star)
pyramidFour 4.6 m basalt Atlante columns on pyramid summit
20.0633° N · 99.3406° WPalacio Quemado (Burnt Palace)
palaceColumned hall with benches
20.0628° N · 99.3415° WMural Coatepantli (Serpent Wall)
wallSnake wall with feathered serpents and skeletal figures
20.0630° N · 99.3410° W
Gallery