Today we will teach you through this interesting article, the different types of government in the Political Organization of the Toltecs, with a predominance of the military caste, in addition to other particular characteristics of their culture and other things.
How was the political organization of the Toltecs?
The political organization of the Toltecs was marked by the power and domination exercised by military leaders. The military predominance resulted from the various wars that the people had to face to defend their lands. The constant struggles of this Mesoamerican culture have resulted in territorial growth.
In general, the Toltec people were characterized by the fact that they were originally nomads, they practiced the values of sincerity, obedience and loyalty. On the other hand, men were responsible for supporting their families, while women were responsible for housework. However, his most notable trait was bravery.
As good warriors, they managed to demonstrate their leadership skills, which allowed the soldiers who commanded the battles to organize and establish a political hierarchy. Followed by military power was the priesthood and below these the less favored classes, such as artisans and peasants.
Political organization of the Toltecs: power structure
The form of government of this culture was monarchical and militaristic. In addition, it was characterized by its theocratic character, that is, the highest rulers made their decisions guided by the statutes and regulations of the prevailing religion. This ethnic group was a polytheistic people, so they were guided by all the gods they believed in.
The Toltec political organization was headed by a high-ranking leader, who was an outstanding military leader who had cooperated in several battles. This head of government was a kind of king towards whom the population had respect and, sometimes, fear because of the way he exercised power, he was supported by priests.
Most prominent kings or rulers
In the Toltec culture, there were various kings or rulers who ensured that the monarchy lasted for more than three hundred years. Some of the most important were:
– Chalchiutlantzin (667-719 AD).
– Ixtlicuechahuac (719-771 AD).
– Huetzin (771-823 AD).
– Totepeuh (823-875 AD).
– Nacaxxoc (875-927 AD).
–Mitl (927-976 AD).
– Xiuhtzatzin (queen) (976-980 AD).
– Tecpancaltzin (980-1031 AD).
– Tōpīltzin (1031-1052), died in the year 2 Tecpatl.
Of the mentioned list, the most important ruler was Ce Acatl Topiltzin Quetzalcóatl, better known as Topiltzin. His work is distinguished by the ability with which he brings about the prosperity of the Toltecs and by the way in which he consolidates the traditions and customs of this Mesoamerican people.
Quetzalcóatl was the son of Tecpatl (one of the first chiefs of the Toltecs, revered as a mythological figure). He was responsible for politically structuring the Toltecs, his strategies and principles reigned for a long time. The name of this warrior was related to the god they worshiped and meant "feathered serpent".
Most prominent kings or rulers
In the Toltec culture, there were various kings or rulers who ensured that the monarchy lasted for more than three hundred years. Some of the most important were:
– Chalchiutlantzin (667-719 AD).
– Ixtlicuechahuac (719-771 AD).
– Huetzin (771-823 AD).
– Totepeuh (823-875 AD).
– Nacaxxoc (875-927 AD).
–Mitl (927-976 AD).
– Xiuhtzatzin (queen) (976-980 AD).
– Tecpancaltzin (980-1031 AD).
– Tōpīltzin (1031-1052), died in the year 2 Tecpatl.
Of the mentioned list, the most important ruler was Ce Acatl Topiltzin Quetzalcóatl, better known as Topiltzin. His work is distinguished by the ability with which he brings about the prosperity of the Toltecs and by the way in which he consolidates the traditions and customs of this Mesoamerican people.
Quetzalcóatl was the son of Tecpatl (one of the first chiefs of the Toltecs, revered as a mythological figure). He was responsible for politically structuring the Toltecs, his strategies and principles reigned for a long time. The name of this warrior was related to the god they worshiped and meant "feathered serpent".
humac
On the other hand, a contrary version of Topiltzin was Huemac, who was the ruler who supplanted him. This leader was considered one of the last in the Toltec culture, but his performance was clouded by the bad decisions he made. Therefore, the city experienced different crises throughout its structure that led to its end.
Huemac and the tributes
One of the main causes of the fall of the Toltecs was the way in which Huemac carried out the collection of tributes and taxes. The despotism with which he exercised power and the application of the laws aroused the reaction of the neighboring populations, to the point of being looted and invaded.
Laws
The laws became a fundamental point of the Toltec culture after they became a civilized people and settled in Tollan (Tula, now Mexico). Therefore, these were adopted by the main head of government (the king), who applied them to the letter and thus maintain control of the population.
The king, as creator of the laws, also had the power to punish those who did not comply through the threatening and intimidating actions of the military. One of the main punishments resulting from disobedience was sacrifice, the person was given to the gods they believed in.
The priests
The priests were an important figure within the political organization of the Toltecs, it is relevant to specify that they were very different from what is known today.
The relevance of the priestly body was due to the fact that politics and religion went hand in hand, since the rulers believed that the gods guided them in their battles and in their governmental decisions.
In this way, the priests were in charge of the different populations that the military leaders conquer through wars. At the same time, they advised their superiors based on the messages they received from the gods of the time.
On the other hand, the political participation of the priests in the culture of the ethnic group included the exercise of various public functions, as well as the supervision of the military houses. They also had the power to defend themselves against neighboring attacks and invasions and to conquer other lands with the intention of expanding the monarchy.
Main political activity
The Toltecs focused their political activity on the military strategies that the rulers and rulers devised to conquer other territories. The expansion of this Mesoamerican people and their permanence for three centuries were due to their warrior character and defensive spirit.
The main opponents of the political organization of the Toltecs were the Chichimecas, who constantly fought for economic and social benefits. On the other hand, the Toltecs made their rule more authentic by conquering their neighboring peoples and instilling in them all their traditions, especially religious traditions.
It is necessary to mention that the political decisions of this ethnic group were closely linked to economic growth. The leaders took advantage of the conquest of new territories to develop their agricultural activities. Thus, they managed to market and make a profit for all people, even more so for those in high command.
Culture
Art; His art, reflected in statues and wall reliefs, is closely related to architecture. They have represented their gods and characters in stone sculptures, murals, ceramics, paintings and handicrafts.
Architecture: The Toltecs undoubtedly made important changes to the architectural standards that existed in Mesoamerica in the XNUMXth century; One of them is the use of anthropomorphic sculptures that support the ceiling of a room with the head, thus achieving a large interior space, as seen in the temple of Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli El Señor del Alba.
Tula is estimated to have been home to around 30,000 residents, living in large one-story compounds with flat roofs mostly made of stone and earth and finished in adobe. Excluding the habitable area of Tula, it reflects a grid plan that clearly defines the different neighborhoods.
Among the most significant architectural elements, Pyramid B stands out, with its misnamed atlanteans, 4.6m high that once supported the roof of a temple. According to studies, these Atlanteans were decorated with mosaics and jeweled feathers.
Traces of paint indicate that they were potentially drawn to reproduce the Toltec-Chichimec warrior of Mixcóatl (father of Quetzalcóatl) or the morning star god Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli.
They also built plumed serpent columns, head down and tail up, supporting the lintel that was part of the entrance to the great hall.
In the domestic sphere, they had three different classes of housing complexes, the group of houses, room units and palatial residences.
Cuisine: According to a series of studies carried out in Tepetitlán, a rural area of Tula, Hidalgo, specialists Guadalupe Mastache and Robert Cobean determined that amaranth was essential to nourish the Toltec culture, since it prevented these tribes from experiencing hunger in times of drought. .
Currently, amaranth produces "alegrías", a mixture of this product with honey, peanuts and raisins; Amaranth, huautli or alegría, the name by which it is known today, was in pre-Hispanic times a staple crop in various cultures in the country, including the one established in Tula, Hidalgo, as reported by archaeological evidence and ethnohistoric data from your culture.
For her part, Nadia Vélez Saldaña, an archaeologist specializing in paleobotany and a member of the Tula archaeological zone research team, explained that this seed was not only important for this population of Hidalgo, but also throughout Mesoamerica, because it was an easy-to-use plant. to cultivate, in addition to having a high degree of resistance to dry and frosty seasons:
Amaranth is more resistant and grows in all types of fertilized soil, therefore, in the absence of cereals, huautli was the one that covered the food needs of the population.
Nadia Velez Saldana
Another characteristic of amaranth is its ability to be stored in clay pots for long periods of time, without decomposing.
This, together with its high nutritional value, has led it, in certain stages, to be established as the most important crop in Tula, much more than corn, in fact, one of the tributes that the provinces of 'Ajacuba and Jilotépec.
Among which Tula was included at the end of the Postclassic (between 1200 and 1521), they gave the Triple Alliance, in addition to corn and beans, it was precisely amaranth, which indicates that this plant was an important crop in this period.
Amaranth was used not only as food, but also for offerings and rituals; In this sense, Vélez Saldaña mentioned that the use of the grain has been documented by Bernardino de Sahagún and other chroniclers, who describe its use in certain ceremonies where figurines made with tied amaranth were used.
The ritual huautli figures were made with the technique used today to make amaranth candy, the researcher said. They roasted the amaranth and then mixed it with magüey honey to obtain a malleable paste to form the anthropomorphic figures of certain deities, which were used in ceremonies.
Finally, Vélez Saldaña pointed out that, apparently, its ritual importance could have been the cause of its prohibition after the conquest, its cultivation decreased until it almost disappeared from some areas during the colonial period, so the political organization of the Toltecs declined.