Tula (Mesoamerican site)

Tula (the archaeological site near modern Tula de Allende, Hidalgo) was the principal centre of the Toltec polity in central Mexico and flourished as a major urban and ceremonial centre in the early postclassic period. The site is best known for its monumental stone sculptures and temple platforms dating to roughly the 10th to 12th centuries CE.

Visitors see large platform pyramids, colonnaded halls and carved stone sculptures including the famous warrior columns often called Atlantean figures, each about 4.5 meters tall. The central ceremonial plaza contains a ballcourt and several temple platforms, and an on-site museum displays many of the recovered artifacts.

The site was built and occupied by people associated with the Toltec culture and reached its height roughly between 900 and 1150 CE before decline and partial abandonment. Later populations reused parts of the site and European chroniclers recorded ruins when the area became known to colonial authorities.

Tula sits just outside the modern town of Tula de Allende in Hidalgo state, in central Mexico, northwest of Mexico City. The archaeological zone is accessible by road from the nearby town and regional highways.

• Site museum: On-site museum displays ceramic, stone and carved artifacts recovered from excavations and provides context for the Toltec period architecture.
• Atlantean height: The carved warrior columns are approximately 4.5 meters high and are among the most photographed features at the site.

What to See #

• Atlantean figures: A group of four carved stone warrior figures roughly 4.5 meters tall that stand atop Pyramid B and served as columnar supports for a temple superstructure; they are among the site's most iconic monuments.
• Pyramid B: A stepped platform mound that forms the ceremonial core of the site and was surmounted by temples; Pyramid B is the context for the Atlantean columns and remains one of the largest visible structures at the site.
• Ballcourt: A long rectangular playing area with stone markers for the Mesoamerican ballgame located within the central ceremonial precinct and aligned with other major public buildings.