Decline of the Toltecs at Tula

Timeline

1. 1035–1037Tula palace precinct · HidalgoStrife within the Toltec royal house intensified, with noble factions vying for ritual and military power. Vassal city-states ceased paying tribute and sought autonomy; central control over the region east of the Valley of Mexico weakened markedly, and the authority of Tula's court hung by a thread.
2. 1037–1040Mexican Highlands · MexicoTula's pyramids and colonnaded temples show signs of burning and demolition, and archaeology indicates a sharp drop in urban population. Some Toltec artisans, merchants, and warriors migrated south to the Yucatán Peninsula, leaving deep marks of their Feathered Serpent worship and architectural style at Chichén Itzá and elsewhere, while the Toltecs as a political entity tended to disintegrate.