WHAT WAS THE SOCIAL ORGANIZATION OF THE TOLTECS LIKE? - HISTORY - 2024

The social organization of the Toltecs was simple and comprised only two main classes of citizens: those favored by the gods and the servants. This structure was consolidated after years of having settled civilly in the now known town of Tula in Mexico.

Those favored were made up of the rulers, those who exercised the priesthood, the military, and public officials. For their part, the servants were made up of the rest of the people and their task was the development and management of resources to guarantee economic stability and the comfort of the highest authorities.

Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, the "lord of the dawn" in Toltec mythology. Source: This image was created with Adobe Photoshop., via Wikimedia Commons

The structure of Toltec society was pyramidal, from top to bottom. At the top of the pyramid were those who held power, who were the most economically and politically privileged. On the other hand, at the base were the less favored, poor farmers and artisans, who were often taken as slaves.

Social classes of the Toltec culture

Operator of the Toltec culture Tecpancaltzin Iztaccaltzin, receiving Papantzin. Mabarlabin

The social organization of the Toltecs was represented by two classes: the privileged, which enjoyed wealth; and that of the serviles, which was made up of the common people of the town who dedicated themselves to satisfying the needs of the hierarchs.

It is important to emphasize that the social level was subject in many cases to the kind of family to which a citizen belonged and also to the public position he held within Toltec society. On the other hand, the belief towards the gods and the way in which they interacted with them were taken into account.

Now, the social structure of the Toltecs was classified as follows:

- Supreme ruler

The supreme ruler was located at the top of the pyramid of the Toltecs from the social point of view. In him resided the total and absolute power, he was the one in charge of designing the laws, giving orders for the organization of wars and battles and making changes in the political and economic structure. All this under the guidance of the god in which they believed.

On the other hand, the highest chief of the Toltecs could count on the advice of the wise priests. He was surrounded by high military officials who acted in different battles to win territories and maintain the power of the monarchy.

In the same way, the superior ruler was accompanied by his family and with them he shared the benefits of his high social class.

Clothing

A characteristic feature of the supreme ruler and his relatives was the way they dressed. Belonging to a high social class and with economic privileges allowed them to wear ostentatious clothes compared to the lower social strata. For example, they used belts, capes (tilmatli) and cueitl, which was a kind of skirt.

In addition, the top leaders wore a loincloth-shaped garment that they called the máxtlatl. All their garments and clothes were decorated with jewels and ornaments that illustrated the Toltec culture. The rulers' wives and relatives were at the same time wearing a quexquémitl, which was a rectangular-shaped dress.

living place

The highest ruler, his relatives and friends lived in huge palaces supported by colossal stone pillars carved in the shape of a snake. At the same time, their houses were built on logs in a pyramidal shape.

The decoration was characterized by ceramic objects almost always in red and wavy and straight lines. On the other hand, the palaces were surrounded by wide central courtyards that served as a meeting place.

These buildings did not have windows, they were designed only with small doors to a great extent to protect their inhabitants from enemy attacks.

- Priests, warriors and officials

The priests, warriors and public officials were also part of the upper class of the Toltecs, they were under the supreme ruler. Their social position was due to the family castes that served and to the military and administrative work they carried out in each of the communities.

The main tasks of these members of high society were oriented to organize and direct the military commands and to administer the wealth of the peoples that made up the Toltec monarchy. In the case of the priests, his focus remained on conducting religious cults and guiding the highest chief.

Clothing

The dress of the priests, officials and military was not very different from that of the absolute chief. In such a way that it was proper for them to use a belt in order to hold weapons during battles in the case of the military. They also wore loincloths, skirts, and aprons. The priestly body used the cueitl.

- The servile

The servile class was one of the lowest strata of Toltec society. However, the weight of agricultural production, wood production, artisanal production and all other activities that were necessary for the flow of the economy fell on it. On the other hand, they were people who worked for the upper class within their homes or workplaces.

In relation to the clothing that distinguished the servile as lower class were the loincloth and the entanglement, which was a piece of cloth that served to cover their buttocks. Footwear was not part of their attire, as they were always barefoot.

- Slaves

At the bottom of the pyramidal social structure of the Toltecs were the slaves, an underclass made up of prostitutes, prisoners of war, and workers of the rulers.

In many cases, the elites cruelly punished these citizens for disobeying orders and in the worst case they were sacrificed to the gods. To speak of the clothing of these individuals is to refer only to the use of loincloths.

From the economic point of view they did not enjoy independence and could not make decisions, this was due to the fact that their lives practically belonged to the powerful hierarchs. They were a limited group in all respects.

References

1. Toltec culture 2 "I". (S. f.). (N / A): Google Sites. Recovered from: sites.google.com.
2. Social organization of the Toltec culture. (S. f.). (N / A): All About Toltec Culture. Recovered from: cuturatolteca.pro.
3. Toltec culture. (2018-2019). (N / A): Encyclopedia of History. Recovered from: encyclopediadehistoria.com.
4. Toltec culture. (2019). (N / a): Cultures. On-line. Recovered from: cultures.online.
5. Toltec culture: social organization, clothing, religion, politics and its purpose. (S. f.). (N / A): 10 Culture. Recovered from: 10cultura.com.