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Tula, Mexico. 900 A.D.
This standing carved column represents one of the four pillars atop the pyramid of Quetzalcoatl which supports the ceiling of the Temple of the Morning Star (the planet Venus). The Four warriors are located in the archaeological zone of Tula ( central Mexico) and watch over the ancient city which dates back to 719 B.C. Tula and Chitchen Itza were the main cities of the Toltec civilization which flourished between 900 A.D. and 1168 A.D. The Toltecs were a highly militaristic and ritualistic society composed of many warrior casts who were skilled metallurgists and who practiced ritual sacrifice and cranial deformations. The Toltecs mysteriously disappeared in the 11th century. These columns represent Toltec warriors or possibly Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, the plumed serpent in his guise as the morning star. The Four 15 foot tall columns show identical warriors carved from basalt who are richly attired and dressed for battle, wearing a feathered headdress, rectangular ear pieces, a belt that clasps in the rear with a large mirror, a necklace, bracelets, anklets and sandals decorated with plumed serpents. Over the chest they wear a vest with the butterfly blazon, the Toltec warrior’s emblem. In their left hand, they hold a bunch of curved arrows and in the right hand they hold an atlatl (a curved spear or arrow thrower) which is a highly unusual and controversial weapon not seen anywhere else.
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