Templo de Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli

The pyramid dedicated to the god Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli (the Morning Star), is the pride and joy of Tula’s ceremonial center. It’s not as big as the ones at Teotihuacan, but you can climb up it fairly easily and gawp at the five meter tall Atlantes. These towering basalt giants were originally built to hold up the temple’s roof. Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli was represented by the planet Venus and feathered serpent Quetzalcoatl, hence these huge figures represent Quetzalcoatl as the morning star, dressed as a Toltec warrior. Their detailed stone-carved outfits include loincloths, sandals, headdresses and jewelry, and each figure has a huge shield on his back and arrows and spears in his hands.

Smaller pillars surrounding the glowering warriors also show bloodthirsty jaguars and eagles (the two main orders of Knights) and gods performing human sacrifices.

At the bottom of the pyramid several semi-reconstructed pillars give an idea of what the temple must have looked like when the roof was still there and the Toltecs shaded themselves during ceremonies, meetings or post-battle celebratory sacrifices. You can see elaborate carvings of local chieftans on the Frieze of the Caciques, on the southeast side of the pyramid .

Location:
The Archaeological Site, Tula De Allende, Mexico

Ruin

Relative price: Budget

Travel Skills: None