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An Excerpt from my, “Driving Adventure: Hidalgo, and the Ancient City of Teotihuacán.”
Driving Adventure of the State of Hidalgo
I must confess that my attention was frequently attracted from the works of man to the stupendous natural scenery by which we were surrounded; the unexplored forests that clothe the mountains to their very summits, the torrents that leaped and sparkled in the sunshine, the deep ravines, the many-tinted foliage, the bold and jutting rocks. All combine to increase our admiration of the bounties of nature to this favored land.
Frances Calderón de la Barca «Life in Mexico,» 1843
The Early History
(The historic towns in bold letters can still be found on the modern map of Hidalgo that is included.)
According to archeological studies Hidalgo has been inhabited steadily for the last 7-8,000 years. Some of the inhabitants were nomadic tribes who slowly moved on to other, more suitable areas, but there were some that established themselves here, and had great success.
The first of these groups were the Olmecs who came after the jade, and black and green obsidian that were to be found here.
Next came the Teotihucanos who settled in Tepeapulco as an advance warning outpost to protect their capital, Teotihuacan, against the marauding Chichimecas (an Aztec word for «barbarians» used to describe a diverse group of tribes, similar in their hostile behavior).
The Otomies settled in the arid Mezquital Valley in Ixmiquilpan and Actopan, and spread out from there.
The Huastecos settled in the fertile northeast corner of the State that is separated from the rest by the towering mountain range, the Sierra Madre Occidental with many peaks reaching over 8,000 feet, and by the rushing white-water rivers, the Amajac, Metztitlán, and the Río Chiflón.
The most successful of all, the Toltecs, who were an offshoot of the Nahuas, precursor of the Aztecs, who settled in what is now called Tula de Allende, Huichapan, and Tulancingo in the IX century. They built a brilliant civilization worshiping their god Quetzalcóatl which lasted, in those places until in 1168, when they were overrun by the Chichimecas. Quetzalcóatl and his followers moved their capital to the Yucatan at Chichén Itzá.
Quetzalcóatl
Part man, part myth, and part deity. Quetzalcóatl, the man, is said to have been born to Mixcoatl, a Chichimecan warrior chieftain who conquered Teotihuacan and the surrounding area. Entering what is now the state of Morelos, Mixcoatl encountered the woman Chimalman with whom he fathered Ce Actal Topiltzin Quetzalcóatl.
Quetzalcóatl’s father was assassinated, and his followers persuaded him to take his revenge on the miscreants, and reclaim his throne at Tula. As ruler he instilled a new religion with Queztalcoatl as it’s god. Under his benign leadership as high priest of the new religion the arts flourished. He declared himself celibate, and banned human sacrifices. And in so doing, made enemies of the worshipers of Tezcatlipoca, a really bloodthirsty bunch.
Later, after years of plotting, the Tezcatlipocans got Quetzalcoatl drunk on pulque, which he had never tasted, and tempted him successfully with his own sister.
Exposing their man/god to the criticism of the people Quetzalcóatl left Tula with his most loyal followers, and began a trek that took them to the Yucatan, land of the Mayas who he conquered.
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Tags: Adventure, Hidalgo, Teotihuacan, Topiltzin Quetzalcóatl., William J. Conaway.
Living and Writing in Mexico 