Urban Development

The settlements of the Classic period (Chingú and the northern sector of the zone that would be occupied by the city of Tula) demonstrate a similar arrangement and use of construction techniques as that seen at Teotihuacan. Later settlements were located on the summits of steep hills, on the flanks of Monte Xicuco, or on slopes, as in the case of Tula Chico. This sites covered an area of 2 square miles (5 to 6 square kilometers) and included specialized production areas and a central precinct containing ballcourts, small mounds, and residential platforms. Unlike Magoni, another settlement in the same valley, which shows evidence of links with the Bajfo region, Tula Chico also has indications of the remnants of the Teotihuacan population.

The boundaries of the city were altered radically during the development of the Toltec State ( A.D. 900-1150). Settlements were relocated to the alluvial valley on the banks of the Tula and Salado Rivers and areas with limestone deposits. The urban area covered at this time a total of 5 square miles (13 square kilometers), and a new precinct was built, that of Tula Grande, with pyramids, temples, ballcourts, and palaces. Tula Chico subsequently was abandoned. These changes have been linked to the battle between Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl and the subsequent flight of the latter.

The period of maximum expansion of the Toltec Empire was between A.D. 1000 and 1200. The city covered 6 square miles (16 square kilometers) and included, according to Robert H. Cobean and Alba Guadalupe Mastache, areas for worship, administration, exchange, meetings, housing, production, and circulation (streets, avenues, and plazas). Varieties of dwellings included palaces, elite dwellings around the plazas, residential complexes of various rooms (similar to those of Teotihuacan), and groups of houses. Although Tula lacked the urban design of Teotihuacan or Tenochtitlan, it nevertheless conserved the Teotihuacan tradition of being a unique great urban settlement in a rural context. As in the case of many pre-Hispanic capital cities, Tula was multiethnic; it had strong Nahua, Huastec, and Otomi components.