Which came first...?

Like the old causality dilemma: which came first the chicken or the egg?..A similar dilemma has been pondered and studied for many years: which came first Chichén or Tula? This long-time question has stumped many scholars, however, recently new developments have come to the surface.

Because of the major similarities between The Temple of the Warriors at Chichén Itza, and Pyramid B at Tula, when they were erected was hard to say. Researchers claim that because of the great distance between these two sites and the fact that they are so similar stylistically, that the Toltecs invaded Chichén Itza and this ultimately influenced the architecture. Later I will attempt to argue the validity of this claim and using Google Maps, I will travel to the sites to compare the two structures of Pyramid B and The Temple of the Warriors to see if I can note the visual similarities and differences between the two sites...

First of all, the colonnades in front of both of the structures are similar in that they both depict warriors set on top of columns. However, Chichén Itza has more rounded supports Additionally, there would have been a roof atop both of the colonnades, which we know from extensive research and excavation. We also know that ritualized activities took place here but we are not sure exactly what they were. Furthermore, there are cenotes, or causeways, at both sites so this might suggest a connection of water resources. The Feathered Serpent was a common theme that we saw arose out of Teotihuacan, and it is also repeated here at both regions, which might suggest that they were trading ideas, and incorporating old motifs in their structures. Because these structures are similar to those at Teotihuacan, they might have been directly influenced by them because Teotihuacan was such a large empire at that time in Mesoamerica. There are also roads that I can see lead out of both Chichén Itza and Tula based on the maps, which, although it's difficult to see might connect at other regions and those regions' main 

structures.

Pyramid B - Tula 

Temple of the Warriors - Chichén Itza

Furthermore, each of these structures also have only one entrance to them (almost appear as a pre-cursor to the later Roman style of Classical Greek architecture when they build their temples with access only from the front - just as a side note). Although both of these structures house many similarities, I don't know myself if it is enough to justify the fact that the Toltecs invaded first. Because of trade and different political factors researchers believe that it is mostly economics that tied the two regions together, and not war between them. In light of this new evidence, it would make sense because based on the large size of both regions, if one region were to invade the other, it would take years for them to assemble a structure as large as The Temple of the Warriors. If the two regions were on good terms, and trade was happening between them it would make more sense for them to be building structures that are very similar in style. Thus, I believe that it is more likely that there was a connection between them but unless it is proven that the Toltecs did in fact invade Chichén Itza for a longer period of time (several years), it would make more sense then that they were in fact connected by war and conquering and not politically or economically.