Day 579
Tula
Since leaving Lake Chapala the riding has been a bit repetitive and uninspiring. We had a reason we had chosen this route though, we were cycling to Tula, the ancient capital of the Toltecs in Mexico. It grew around AD850 to AD1150, and is believed to have covered an area of approximately 3 square miles housing a population of tens of thousands. We had come to see the remains of the major civic centre. There is a large plaza surrounded by the remains of pyramids, a palace and two ball courts. These buildings were highly decorated with paintings, carvings and sculptured friezes. The highlight for Tom and I was to climb the main pyramid, believed to be dedicated the famous Priest-King, Topilzin Quetzalcozstl. Atop the pyramid stand the Atlantes. They represent high ranking Toltec warriors and were originally pillars to support a temple that stood on the top of the pyramid. Arriving early, we had this area to ourselves. It was breath-taking and a very moving experience. Tom has longed from childhood to climb a pyramid and here we stood, alone. The hordes of tourists coached in from Mexico City arrived not long afterwards but we didn’t mind. We had had our treat. We wandered around the remains of the other pyramids and buildings. We didn’t linger where they used to decorate the building with the heads of human sacrifices, just happy to be here in 2023AD not a 1,000 years before!
