Definition: The Toltec Civilization was one of three great empires of the Basin of Mexico, after the fall of Teotihuacan and before the rise of the Aztecs. The capital was at Tula, and during the Toltec heyday (about AD 900-1200), Tula controlled most of central Mexico, the Yucatan peninsula, the Gulf coast, and perhaps even Chiapas and the Pacific coast as well.
The Toltec established trade connections with people as far away as what is now the Mexican states of Zacatecas, Veracruz, and Puebla; the US states of New Mexico and Arizona; Costa Rica and Guatemala. The power of the Tula dynasties rang through all of Mesoamerica into the Aztec empire.
Sources
Smith, Michael E. and Lisa Montiel 2001 The archaeological study of empires and imperialism in pre-hispanic central Mexico. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 20(3):245-284.
Healan, Dan M. Toltec. 2001. pp. 759-763 in Archaeology of Ancient Mexico and Central America: An Encyclopedia. Susan Toby Evans and David L. Webster, eds. Garland.
For more information on Toltec architecture, see the Walking Tour of Chichén Itzá.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. Any mistakes are the responsibility of Kris Hirst.
Examples: Important Toltec sites include Tula and Chichén Itzá
