What's in a team name?
TOLTECH takes the name of an advanced Meso-American civilization that predates the Aztec, called the Toltecs. Add Technology to that name, and you get TOLTECH. Below is a brief history of the Toltec civilization, and the ball game that played a large role in thier civilization.
The Rise of an Empire
The
Toltec Empire appeared in the Central Mexico area in the 10th century
AD, when they established their central city of
Tula. It is believed that the Toltecs were refugees from the
northern Teotihuacán culture and migrated after its fall in 700 AD. Much
of what we know about the Toltecs comes from legends carried on about
them by later cultures. The Toltec Empire was the first of the extreme
militaristic cultures in the region that used their might to dominate
their neighbors, a trend associated with the later cultures in the
region, especially the Aztecs. Eventually the empire spread across most
of Mexico, Guatemala, and as far south as the Yucatan, as they conquered
lands previously controlled by the Mayans.
They also were noted as builders and craftsmen and have been credited with the creation of fine metalwork, monumental porticoes, serpent columns, gigantic statues, carved human and animal standard-bearers, and peculiar reclining Chac-Mool figures.
The Toltec Empire lasted until the 12th century, when it was destroyed by the Chitimecs and other attacking groups. The Toltec people were absorbed by the conquerors and in the south they became assimilated with the Maya, subordinates to the people they once conquered. After the fall of the Toltecs, central Mexico fell into a period of chaos and warfare without any single ruling group for the next 200 years, when the Aztecs gained control.
References
Hooker, Richard. "The
Toltecs." Civilizations in America, 1996.
Quetzalcoatl. Quetzal Computational Associates, Inc., 1996.
Mexico City Sites. Go2, the Mexico City Travel Guide,.1997.
Toltec, Microsoft Encarta, 1996
THE BALL GAME
The Ball Game originated in Meso-America. The field basically consists of an I-shaped patio with stone markers set into the side walls. We could say that the markers were like goals.
The markers had to be touched with a ball that the players hit with their hips. The ball was made of raw rubber and was very bouncy. The ball was also very heavy; the violence with which the game was played and the likelihood of being hit by the ball made it extremely dangerous. The players protected their hips, forearms, knees and legs. At times, the game was played for fun, while in other cases it was a religious ceremony which ended with the sacrifice of the losing team.
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesoamerican_ballgame
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