FROM TULA CHICO TO CHICHEN ITZA: IMPLICATIONS OF THE EPICLASSIC SCULPTURE OF TULA FOR THE NATURE AND TIMING OF TULA-CHICHEN CONTACT

Summary

Although most scholars now reject hypotheses of a Toltec invasion of Yucatan to explain similarities between the art of Tula and Chichen Itza in favor of models involving economic, political, and religious interaction between the two centers, questions remain concerning the nature and timing of this exchange. Some archaeologists and art historians posit a 9th-10th century florescence for "Toltec" Chichen, and argue that since this makes the "Toltec" style in Yucatan older than the Tollan Phase at Tula, most of the style features shared between the cities originated with the Maya. I examine the relevance of the Epiclassic relief sculpture of Tula Chico for this debate. The presence of reliefs of reclining figures in clear "Toltec" style at Tula Chico, in contexts predating their occurrence at Chichen Itza, suggests that claims for a predominantly Maya origin for that style stand in need of revision. Such rethinking is supported by other images from Tula Chico (eagles and Venus symbols), as well as by new studies of ceramics and chronology at Chichen.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)   •
• Reconsidering the "Epic" in the Epiclassic Period of Mesoamerica Part 1: Regional Interactions

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