It is easy to see why academics believed for many years that the site of Chichén Itzá has been occupied by Toltec groups. It was not till recently that they started to believe that this might not have been the case. The objective of this blog is to uncover the similarities and differences in order to consider the relevancy of a Toltec occupation in Chichén Itzá.
The relationship between the Toltecs of Tula and the Mayans of Chichén Itzá is a subject that has been greatly argued among academics and unfortunately remains unresolved. A key factor to this issue is the lack of information rendering it impossible to come to an accurate conclusion. Nevertheless, three main theories circulate among researchers: That the Toltecs did indeed invade Chichén Itzá, that the Maya-Chichén people made a type of alliance with the Toltec refugees resulting in a cultural diffusion, or the Maya had abandoned Chichén Itzá long before the Toltecs moved in.
1) Toltec invasion
The reasons why academics strongly considered a Toltec invasion for so long were because of the sudden shifts in architectural program. The most compelling reason would be because if the strong resemblance between the Temple of the Warriors in Chichén Itzá and Pyramid B in Tula. The similarities include: a single staircase facing an open plaza, square pillars at the summit that would have supported a perishable roof, a large series of colonnades at the base, as well as carved pillars representing Toltec warriors. The Temple of the warriors at Chichén Itzá is also constructed in two parts, a smaller pyramid was discovered inside which indicates that someone decided to redecorate. Whether or not it was the Toltec, it is unclear. However, there are also some distinct differences. They both provide a contrast between scale and quality. In terms of quality, the stone work in Chichén Itzá was elaborated and finely crafted, at Tula on the other hand, the stone work seems sparse, poorly worked and dependent on the stucco covering.[i] There is also a difference in scale. The pyramid B at Tula is considerably smaller than the Temple of the Warriors at Chichén Itzá. ¨It is almost as if Toltec ideals were first given architectural expression at Chichén, and were then returned to Tula around the year 1000 in a provincial form.¨[ii]
2) A Toltec and Maya alliance at Chichén Itza
Carbon dating has placed the occupation of Tula between 650 till 1100 A.D. By the end of the 12th century Tula was abandoned. The last King of Tula, Huemac, was forced to flee before the Aztecs invaded. Legends state that the Toltecs ventured eastward in order to evade their attackers. In Chichén Itzá, they speak of a leader coming to them from the West and sharing with them great wisdom. Therefore it is quite possible that they banded together in order to protect themselves from a common enemy.
3) The Maya had been long gone by the arrival of the Toltecs.
Chichén Itzá had been occupied much longer than then Tula. People settled in old Chichén around the Preclassic and Early Classic periods (350 B.C till 250 A.D)[iii] the newer parts of Chichén Itzá date from between 600 to 1200 A.D. which indicates a large gap in development where the Maya could have abandoned site. However, this does not explain why Classic and Post Classic structures still express Mayan styles. The very far south structure was named La Casa de las Monjas by the conquistadores for it reminded them of a nunnery; was used as a royal palace. The architecture is purely Maya. It is constructed in the Puuc, Chenes style prevalent in the Maya Yucatan region. The entire façade is built to resemble a Chaac mask. Chaac is the Maya rain deity. It also consists of a lattice motif roof comb and an undulating serpent motif along the cornice. The second structure built around 600-859 A.D., the Caracol, is built up on a rectangular structure and has an unobstructed view of the surrounding landscape and sky. The round structure that sits on top is believed to have been used as an observatory to map celestial event, especially the movements of the planet Venus, which held a lot of significance among all Mesoamerican people. Although its significance is shared among many Mesoamerican groups, round structures were only dedicated to Quetzalcoatl among later Aztecs. Therefore it is believed that this building was constructed and designed by the Maya. The final major structure in the old section of Chichén Itzá, La Tomba del Gran Sacerdote (Tomb of the High Priest), was constructed in the Preclassic era. This pyramid is also known as the Ossuary or Osario. It consists of a four staircases, each facing the cardinal axes which all have balustrades shaped as serpents. It is in this structure that we begin to see a transition in style. The style is mostly Maya with its Puuc style stacks, decorated with Chaac figures, at the top of the pyramid. The four step, radial pyramid was also originally developed in Uxmal. Archaeologists have also discovered a cave located directly under the structure, which tie into the Mayan beliefs of passageways to the underworld as well as divinity and ruler ship. The structure was renovated in 800 to 900 A.D. The cave entrance was later filled with burials, hence the name, the nine levels representing the number of levels of the underworld, and the serpent balustrades, which were added later, are known to be Aztec practices.
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