Mesoamerican and South American Mythologies: Maya, Aztec, IncaThe Toltec and Aztec |
Who were the Toltec? |
The Toltec, who became dominant in Mesoamerica in the tenth century C.E., were a warlike and commercial people. They built their capital at Tollan, near present-day Tula, Mexico. They spoke Nahuatl and remained powerful until the late twelfth century C.E. when the Aztec became dominant and essentially adopted much of the Toltec mythological system, including the ever-present Quetzalcoatl figure. Human sacrifice was practiced by the Toltec, as it would be by the Aztec.