TOLTEC ECONOMY: THE 5 MAIN ACTIVITIES - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The Toltec economy (Dwellers of Tula or Seekers of knowledge) is part of a civilization with the Nahuatl language, which lived north of the valley of Mexico City, today Tula, Hidalgo; from AD 687

With a heyday from the 10th century until the arrival of the Spanish, the Toltecs were characterized mainly by being a conquering people that lived on the tributes and natural wealth of the conquered tribes. Despite this, they were recognized as a wise and knowledgeable people who influenced the customs, education and religion of the neighboring tribes.

The most famous vestige of this culture are the so-called "Atlanteans" where the Toltecs represented in relief the journey that a human being had to make to become a god. And which was made by his god Huitzilopochtli at that time.

Regarding its geographical situation, its capital was Tollan-Xicocotitlan and its territory extended from present-day Zacatecas to Yucatán. Broadly speaking, the town was characterized by having a flourishing and stable economy, where there were only two social classes: the privileged and servants.

Thus, the latter were the ones who carried out the economic activities. Although it is believed that they did not need to work to get out of their inferior situation but because the work was considered an obligation. Here are the fundamental pillars of the economy of this curious civilization.

Characteristics of the Toltec economy

farming

The frequent expansion of their territory allowed them to have different climates that provided different products for food and commerce.

In this sense, its agricultural system was based on the creation of large irrigation canals that allowed natural water bodies to be diverted to irrigate crops.

In addition to harvesting basic and beneficial foods such as beans, corn, chili and tomatoes; the Toltecs also cultivated amaranth, a tropical plant that is difficult to decompose.

This plant is resistant to low and high temperatures, and has a high energy content when combined with honey and raisins, which helped them survive the cold winters without starving.

Handicraft production

The production of clay handicrafts and other materials provided by the tributary peoples, such as the mother-of-pearl shell, was a source of income stream in the region.

This was due to the fact that the expanding territory was constant and polytheistic cultures added to its power the need for offerings to the gods and the presence of representations in homes.

In addition, being a culture dedicated to art, the Toltecs appreciated reliefs and representations, so their products were of masterful designs and highly sought after even by adjacent cultures.

It is believed that most of the Toltec people knew how to "write" so they did not have scribes or people dedicated to writing on behalf of the entire empire, which facilitated the creation of crafts with personal meaning.

Commerce

The Toltecs were known to create the first monopolies, as they prevented the peoples under the yoke of their empire from bartering with other cultures for products that the empire produced. In this way, civilization kept capital and wealth within its territory, while ensuring its sustainability.

They also made use of the law of supply and demand and raised the prices of products according to their availability at the time of year, so it could be said that the first "latifundios" in Mexico originated from pre-Hispanic times.

In addition to the above, they always sought to conquer tribes in strategic points of commerce that would allow them to collect tribute from other merchants who wanted to cross their territory, and in this way to get a part of the product.

Tribute

The Toltecs were a prepared people, wise among the cultures of Mesoamerica, so most of their conquests were not related only to power and territory, but to the natural wealth that the peoples could offer. As well as the knowledge of its sages and records and history.

Due to this, the Toltecs conquered tribes with new or scarce products in their territory to later collect taxes and thus eliminate the deficit or need.

Despite being cold when planning their conquests, the Toltecs were not known for their cruelty, but rather for their disciplined military force that enforced their laws without reaching violence.

Metallurgy

Within the annals of the history of the cultures of Mesoamerica, the Toltecs are known as the first people to handle metals and give them shape.

The remains found cannot guarantee that they were the first to devise a technique to achieve this, but they are the first to leave it recorded in their reliefs and codices.

Despite the above, the blacksmith work was not as sophisticated as the clay crafts, since the metal pieces found are actually crude and functional.

In this way, it is believed that metallurgy in this civilization began almost at its twilight, which did not allow them to develop handling and malleability techniques.

For all the above, we can define the Toltec culture as an intelligent civilization, with great sensitivity for religion and a great attachment to commercial strategies that helped reduce the violence that was common in the populations of those times.

Its vestiges tell us of wisdom, abundance and knowledge and even of influence on the cultures best known for their desire for knowledge, such as the Mayans, who appear as one of the peoples with the most myths and legends tributary of the Toltecs.

References

1. Encyclopedia of Prehistory: Volume 5: Middle America, Peter N. Peregrine, Melvin EmberSpringer Science & Business Media, Dec 6, 2012 - page 38, retrieved from books.google.com.mx.
2. Toltec Civilization, June 18, 2016 by ArnavSaikia, retrieved from ancient-civilizations.com.
3. : ancient-civilizations.com.
4. The Toltec civilization by Mark Cartwright, published on 09 September 2013, retrieved from www.ancient.eu.
5. The Toltecs by The sailor foundation 2013, retrieved from saylor.org.
6. The ancient toltec trade and economy by Christopher Minster, 12/12/15, retrieved from thoughtco.com.
7. AncientAmerica, Archeology, Mexico, Toltec, Tula byOjibwa. "NativeAmericaroots" retrieved from nativeamericannetroots.net.