7 - A Reconstruction of Toltec Period Political Units in the Valley of Mexico

Abstract

This chapter presents a quantitative analysis of Early and Late Toltec period settlement patterns that reveals units of political interaction. The Early Toltec period seems to have been highly unsettled politically, whereas the Late Toltec period is seen as a time of stability when Tula had extended its political influence over the Valley of Mexico. The conflicting reconstructions of Toltec period political organization in the Valley of Mexico are an example of the disagreements that arise in the absence of a clear and quantifiable definition of political interaction. These decisions might involve social, military, or economic matters, but in all cases, they are made and implemented through an administrative hierarchy. The political interaction between two places is directly proportional to the product of the populations at each location and inversely proportional to some function of the distance between locations. The interaction model of political organization, although not perfect, is a powerful tool for examining certain archaeological situations where a degree of ethnohistoric control is available.