Gallery of art from Tula Hidalgo

Tula, along with Teotihuacan and Tenochtitlan, was one of the great urban centers of the Central Highlands of Mesoamerica. The city had a long life of almost four centuries at its peak (900 -1000 A.D.); in fact, by the year 1000 it was probably the largest city in Mesoamerica, with an area of almost 16 square kilometers.

The splendor of the ancient city was represented by the vestiges that, nowadays, compose the archaeological zone, as the pyramid B or Building of the Atlanteans, the Burnt Palace, the Central Altar, the Coatepantli or Wall of the Snakes, the Games of Balls and the Tzompantli. Constructions that keep testimony of the hierarchy that the city had in pre-Hispanic times.

The splendor of the ancient city was represented by the vestiges that today make up the archaeological zone, such as Pyramid B or Building of the Atlanteans, the Burnt Palace, the Central Altar, the Coatepantli or Wall of the Serpents, the Ballgames and the Tzompantli. Constructions that keep testimony of the hierarchy that the city had in pre-Hispanic times.

The volume of the two main pyramids is not very large, if compared, for example, with that of the pyramids of the Sun and the Moon in Teotihuacan, but the dimension of the pyramids was enhanced by the terraces and platforms that make up the great architectural complex on which they stood.

Hence, one of the main attractions of the site are the sculptures known as the Atlanteans of Tula, which measure a little more than four meters high, carved in basalt stone, found in 1940 by archaeologist Jorge Acosta. The monumental Atlanteans guard the upper part of the Temple of Tlahuizcalpantecutli or Morning Star (Pyramid B) from which the entire main plaza of the site can be seen.

At the back of Pyramid B is located the Coatepantli or Snake Wall, a structure that studies have deduced was dedicated to Quetzalcoatl.

The Coatepantli contains three rows of friezes, of which the central one shows serpents that devour semi-disembodied individuals, who would represent the soul of the warriors; the other two present staggered fretwork, while in its upper part it has engravings of snails cut transversely that according to the investigations are associated to Venus.

The structure is, therefore, a sample of the great skill that the Toltecs had for carving stones. This art is also seen in the friezes that cover the back of Pyramid B (building of the Atlanteans) which represent diverse animals, such as a puma and eagles. These structures, like the Coatepantli, marked the limits of the "sacred space".

The most important building in the area is called Pyramid C, located on the northeast side of the plaza, its importance lies in the fact that according to the investigations of the archaeologist of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) Robert Cobean, this structure was probably the axis mundi of the sacred precinct and therefore the central axis of construction of the city.