Did the Toltecs Practice Child Sacrifice? (ca. 950-1150 AD)
In April 2007, archaeologists uncovered the buried bones of 24 Pre-Columbian Mexican children – members of the ancient Toltec people who lived in Mexico from the 10th to 12th centuries AD. The bones were dug up at the ancient Toltec capital of Tula, and markings on the bones indicated that the children had been decapitated in a group and then buried together. Initial speculation is that this find may be evidence for child sacrifice among the Toltecs.
The Toltec civilization is best known for its fifteen-foot high stone warrior figures, though little about these people can currently be stated with certainty, because the Aztecs later plundered the ruins of Tula for building materials. Much of the historical evidence that might have otherwise survived was destroyed, causing historians to rely mostly on legends from other cultures to piece together Toltec history.
It is thought that the Toltec culture was highly militaristic, and much like the later Aztecs, used their military might to dominate the surrounding cultures. The Toltec architecture that remains has a very rough feel, and is characterized by snakes, skulls, and images of a reclining red jaguar, as well as their mysterious colossal statues.
The Toltec empire lasted until the 12th century, when it was conquered and destroyed by other encroaching cultures such as the Chitimecs. The Toltecs that survived in the south would be assimilated with the Maya – the very people that had once been subjugated by the Toltecs themselves. Shortly after the fall of Toltec civilization, central Mexico entered a period of chaos and warfare, and no group would rise to domination for another 200 years. Not surprisingly, the group who eventually assumed control was that of the Aztecs.
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