﻿462 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  192 
  9 
  

  

  It 
  appears 
  that 
  the 
  dry-land 
  culture 
  of 
  Mexico 
  and 
  Central 
  America, 
  

   traced 
  by 
  the 
  vestiges 
  of 
  archaic 
  art, 
  spread 
  first 
  of 
  all 
  through 
  arid 
  

   lands 
  into 
  our 
  Southwestern 
  States 
  and 
  into 
  western 
  and 
  northern 
  

   parts 
  of 
  South 
  America. 
  Then 
  the 
  adaptation 
  to 
  the 
  forest 
  zone 
  in 
  the 
  

   Mayan 
  area 
  took 
  place, 
  and 
  the 
  great 
  economic 
  success 
  of 
  this 
  led 
  to 
  

   the 
  conquest 
  of 
  forest 
  areas 
  elsewhere 
  in 
  Mexico 
  and 
  Central 
  America, 
  

   parts 
  of 
  South 
  America, 
  and 
  the 
  West 
  Indies. 
  We 
  know 
  from 
  their 
  

   calendar, 
  etc., 
  that 
  the 
  Mayas 
  were 
  established 
  in 
  rainy 
  regions 
  as 
  

   early 
  as 
  the 
  seventh 
  century 
  before 
  Christ. 
  If 
  we 
  grant 
  an 
  original 
  

   seed 
  population 
  of 
  8,000, 
  a 
  peak 
  of 
  8,000,000 
  is 
  found 
  after 
  10 
  dou- 
  

   bUngs. 
  This 
  is 
  not 
  excessive 
  for 
  1 
  ,200 
  years 
  of 
  undisturbed 
  social 
  evolu- 
  

   tion, 
  and 
  indeed 
  it 
  appears 
  that 
  the 
  strongly 
  urban 
  conditions 
  of 
  the 
  

   sixth 
  century 
  of 
  our 
  era 
  demand 
  an 
  even 
  greater 
  number. 
  From 
  the 
  

   archeological 
  evidence 
  the 
  region 
  of 
  the 
  First 
  Empire 
  appears 
  to 
  have 
  

   been 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  densely 
  peopled 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  world. 
  

  

  THE 
  TOLTEC 
  PEAK 
  

  

  The 
  Mayan 
  First 
  Empire 
  suddenly 
  crumbled; 
  and, 
  considering 
  the 
  

   involved 
  urban 
  life 
  in 
  a 
  far 
  from 
  friendly 
  habitat 
  we 
  must 
  imagine 
  

   that 
  this 
  collapse 
  resulted 
  in 
  tremendous 
  mortality. 
  Ranks 
  of 
  society 
  

   were 
  reformed, 
  however, 
  and 
  a 
  second 
  minor 
  peak 
  was 
  reached 
  in 
  the 
  

   much 
  drier 
  region 
  of 
  northern 
  Yucatan 
  about 
  1200 
  A. 
  D., 
  coincid- 
  

   ing 
  with 
  the 
  activities 
  of 
  the 
  Toltec 
  kings 
  who 
  conquered 
  Chichen 
  

   Itza 
  in 
  1191 
  A. 
  D. 
  At 
  this 
  time 
  on 
  the 
  highlands 
  of 
  Mexico 
  a 
  strong 
  

   urbanization 
  movement 
  was 
  taking 
  place. 
  It 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  begun 
  

   among 
  peoples 
  near 
  the 
  Mayas, 
  namely 
  the 
  Olmeca, 
  the 
  Zapoteca, 
  

   the 
  Totonacs, 
  etc., 
  who 
  lived 
  in 
  rather 
  wet 
  territory 
  of 
  southern 
  and 
  

   eastern 
  Mexico, 
  and 
  among 
  the 
  Chorotega 
  on 
  the 
  Caribbean 
  coast 
  

   lands 
  to 
  the 
  south. 
  But 
  the 
  Toltecs 
  of 
  the 
  Valley 
  of 
  Mexico 
  got 
  the 
  

   upper 
  hand 
  and 
  under 
  Huetzia, 
  Ihuitemalli, 
  and 
  Quetzalcoatl 
  formed 
  

   a 
  great 
  empire 
  of 
  trade 
  and 
  tribute 
  over 
  the 
  sedentary 
  nations 
  as 
  far 
  

   south 
  as 
  Nicaragua. 
  The 
  stimulus 
  to 
  population 
  on 
  the 
  highlands 
  of 
  

   Mexico 
  — 
  doubtless 
  high 
  and 
  fairly 
  stable 
  for 
  many 
  centuries 
  — 
  came 
  

   from 
  imported 
  food. 
  We 
  have 
  seen 
  that 
  the 
  Valley 
  of 
  Teotihuacan 
  

   has 
  a 
  population 
  of 
  8,330. 
  Gamio 
  says 
  as 
  regards 
  its 
  ancient 
  popula- 
  

   tion: 
  ^^ 
  

  

  The 
  extension 
  and 
  importance 
  of 
  pre-Spanish 
  settlements 
  in 
  this 
  region, 
  vestiges 
  

   of 
  which 
  still 
  exist, 
  allow 
  us 
  to 
  estimate 
  their 
  total 
  population 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  ten 
  or 
  

   twenty 
  times 
  as 
  great 
  as 
  the 
  present 
  one, 
  and 
  possibly 
  even 
  greater 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  

   There 
  is 
  no 
  doubt 
  that 
  the 
  definite 
  downfall 
  of 
  the 
  Teotihuacan 
  civilization 
  was 
  the 
  

   cause 
  of 
  numerous 
  migrations 
  from 
  the 
  valley; 
  yet 
  centuries 
  later, 
  when 
  the 
  region 
  

   was 
  conquered 
  and 
  came 
  under 
  the 
  rule 
  of 
  the 
  kingdom 
  of 
  Tezcuco, 
  the 
  population 
  

   was 
  still 
  numerous, 
  as 
  may 
  be 
  gathered 
  by 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  tributary 
  settlements 
  

   cited 
  in 
  history. 
  

  

  '» 
  Oamio: 
  op. 
  cit. 
  

  

  