Toluca Valley - History

History

Human inhabitation of central Mexico probably began around 12000 BCE. By the 12th century, various ethnicities inhabited the valley. Pre Hispanic, especially pre Aztec history of the area is scarce primarily because the Aztec destroyed many documents of the prior Tepanec Empire when they came to power. One historical document is the Codex García Granados from the early colonial period. It categorizes events of the Toluca Valley into three periods: the “legendary period,” the reign of Tepanac king Tezozomoc and the Aztec period.

There are two important archeological sites in the valley. On the south end is Teotenango. It was founded near the end of the Teotihuacan period by a group now called the Teotenacas. Later, the Matlazincas conquered and expanded it. The city existed for about 1,000 years, being abandoned only after the Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire. Calixtlahuaca is in the north of the valley, just north of present day Toluca which dates from the Toltec period. By the late 15th century, it was a powerful city state that controlled much of the Toluca Valley and was the main target of Aztec conquest.

In the Post Classic period (900-1519 CE) the valley was a complex linguistic mosaic with speakers of at least four languages, Matlatzinca, Mazahua, Otomi and Nahuatl . Aztec mythology mentions Matzalinco in stories related to their migration to the Valley of Mexico and probably refer to Nahuatl speakers who settled in the Toluca Valley in the 13th century. Five towns in the valley are mentioned more than once in native histories: Cuahuacan, Malinalco, Matlazinco, Teotenanco and Xilotepec indicating that they were important settlements from well before the Aztec conquest. Much of the Toluca Valley was probably part of the earlier Tepanec Empire, based in Azcapotzalco, with its height around 1370. A number of Toluca Valley towns are listed as Tepenac vassals. The historic record in regards to pre Aztec Toluca area is not clear because much was destroyed by the Aztecs and from 1428 to 1470, Toluca Valley settlements do not figure prominently in Aztec records. Both the names Tollocan (Toluca) and Matlatzinco appear in records to refer to the same area, but it is not known if they referred to the same city/state or not. However, by the eve of the Aztec conquest in 1475, it is clear that they were two different city-states.

The Aztec Empire mostly ignored the Toluca Valley initially until the Tarascan Empire began to make inroads in the mid 15th century. Most of the valley was conquered by Aztec emperor Axayacatl although the Tizoc Stone depicts the emperor Tizoc defeating a warrior from the area. The first wave of conquest was in the Mazahua region in the north of the valley in 1473, followed by the conquest of Matlazinco/Tollocan in 1475. Toluca Valley town names begin to appear in Aztec records with Matlatzinco renamed Calixtlahuaca. In 1476 or 1477, the Aztecs confronted the Tarascan armies on the western edge of the Toluca Valley only to be definitively defeated. This led to rebellion in the Toluca Valley, forcing Axayacatl back in to reconquer. Tenochtitlan administered the area more directly than other parts of the Empire with client states created on the Tarascan border. Toluca became the administrative center for the valley. Migrations from the Valley of Mexico into the Toluca Valley were encouraged. There was some repression of rebellions under later emperor Ahuitzotl but there was no major military activity in the valley again until the Spanish conquest . When the Spanish conquered the Aztec Empire, the Toluca Valley was a tribute paying area and buffer zone between the Aztec and Tarascan Empires. Gonzalo de Sandoval conquered most of the area for the Spanish along with Otomi allies. Hernán Cortés’ cousin Juan Altamirano was given dominion of the Toluca Valley. Franciscan missionaries came soon after such as Martin de Valencia, Juan de Tecto, Juan de Ahora, and Pedro de Gante, who established missions and the first school called San Antonio de Padua. Spanish colonial territorial rule was based on the pre Hispanic political situation, with old city-states becoming cabeceras (head-town) . The former Aztec empire became the audencia of Mexico, centered on Mexico City and expanding over the Toluca Valley and further south and west into the modern states of Guerrero and Morelos.

The next major political change for the valley was in the mid 19th century. When the State of Mexico began to break up into various new states and the Mexico City area became the Federal district. This process gave the State of Mexico is current shape and shifted its political and cultural center to the Toluca Valley as the city of Toluca was made its capital. Since then, the political, economic and cultural development of the valley has focused on this city.

Despite the overall degradation, there remain areas of natural beauty in the valley that attract about 3.5 million visitors per year, mostly from Mexico. These include parts of La Marquesa Park, El Nevado de Toluca, Zacango Zoo, Sierra Morelos Park, Tecula and the Lagunas de Zempoala . The volcano was one a sacred site and remains a cultural symbol for the valley and the State of Mexico. There is also colonial architecture, mostly in the way of hacienda houses, churches and former monasteries and Porfirio Díaz era architecture which is mostly former mansions many of which are now museums and other cultural establishments.