Toltec Society by: Chaney Walker
Describe the Toltec society. In what ways was it a continuation of earlier Mesoamerican societies? What was its influence on later societies?
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The Toltec society was a large society with almost 60 thousand people in it. They were very wealthy and lived in houses of stone, adobe or mud. The Toltecs kept a large and powerful army, just as the Mesoamerican societies before them. They campaigned them through central Mexico periodically. Something new they brought was a compact regional empire that helped to maintain fortresses to the north and west. This helped them prevent invasion and keep the empire alive longer. Just as those before them, the Toltec's had many problems throughout its development. Around the end of the Teotihuacan and Toltec Empire, both had a lot of problems from attacks in the north. Because of this, both of these empires had fortresses to keep the outer boundaries of their land safe. Teotihuacan was the largest city in Mesoamerica at very wealthy. The decline of the Teotihuacans was followed by attacks from outsiders from the north. Eventually the city was taken over by foreigners. Similarly, the Toltec Empire was known for its lucrative agricultural practices; the crops cultivated from these lands were used to barter and gain other necessities. But like Teotihuacan, the Toltec Empire plummeted from civil disputes due to the religious and ethnic diversity of its people. This was later followed by continual attacks from foreigners (specifically from the northeast) on the land which ultimately ended a great empire. In addition to this, water/irrigation was another big problem that they encountered. Internal disputes hurt both of these empires. In the Teotihuacan land, many uprisings led to the burning of religious and administrative structures. And in the Toltec society a lot of civil disputes were caused by religious and ethnic reasons. Drought in the Teotihuacan land was one factor that led to their downfall, and as a result, their children were very malnourished since they did not have any crops to feed their population. Similarly, the Toltecs encountered problems with water, except that instead of letting the problem grow; the Toltecs would soon discover an ingenious method to irrigate their crops which was by using artificial dams and canals.
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