The Toltec tradition of building a Coatepantli, or snake wall, was later enthusiastically adopted in Aztec cities all throughout the empire. In Mexican cosmology, the walls determined the boundaries of the sacred space of the temples, so it is likely this Coatenpantli had a special significance for the Toltecs.

The figures in the middle of the wall represent human skeletons being devoured by enormous rattlesnakes (an unmistakable reference to human sacrifice), while the shell battlements symbolize Quetzalcoatl as the planet Venus.

Location:
The Archaeological Site, Tula De Allende, Mexico

Ruin

Relative price: Budget

Travel Skills: None

By Lisa Rodan

Created: 28 Apr 2009

Updated: 30 Apr 2009