Tula (Mexico)

Tula (Mexico), archaeological site near the town of Tula de Allende in Hidalgo State, Mexico, about 64 km (about 40 mi) north of Mexico City; it has ruins, dating from the 10th to the 13th century, that are generally associated with the Toltec culture. Tula is usually identified with Tollán, a Golden-Age city mentioned by 16th-century Spanish writers. The archaeological site includes the remains of a palace, two ball courts, and three temples shaped like truncated pyramids. The largest temple, which is surmounted by 4.6-m (15-ft) columns in the form of stylized human figures, was probably dedicated to the Toltec god Quetzalcoatl.