Toltec

American  

[tohl-tek, tol-] / ˈtoʊl tɛk, ˈtɒl- /

noun

• Toltecs,
  plural
• Toltec
  plural

1. a member of an Indian people living in central Mexico before the advent of the Aztecs and traditionally credited with laying the foundation of Aztec culture.

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adjective

1. Also Toltecan. of or relating to the Toltecs.

Toltec British  

/ ˈtɒltɛk /

noun

1. a member of a Central American Indian people who dominated the valley of Mexico from their capital Tula from about 950 to 1160 _ad , when the valley was overrun by the Aztecs

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adjective

1. of or relating to this people

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Toltec
  plural
• Toltecs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Toltec

< Mexican Spanish tolteca < Nahuatl tōltēcah , plural of tōltēcatl person from Tōllān Tula

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Toltec Toltecs

The Toltec were an earlier Mesoamerican culture that filled the power vacuum created by the decline of Teotihuacán.

From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023

O.J.’s face was a sculptor’s dream, like a Toltec mask.”

From Golf Digest ● Apr. 2, 2020

The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic runs every day from May until October.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 20, 2018

Toltec and local Mayan cultures tell stories in the rocks with jaguars, eagles, snakes and sacrifice, wisdom and folklore that remain mysterious and mesmerizing to this day.

From Washington Times ● Jan. 26, 2018

Three hundred years afterward the rising Toltec styled themselves its heirs.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

As he corrected my copy, Karl would do his usual imitation of a stone mask from the era of the Toltecs.

From The Guardian ● Oct. 3, 2014

Their art evolved from highland people like the Toltecs through a tradition of sculpture.

From Scientific American ● Jul. 6, 2012

Then, around 900, a new people, the Toltecs, rose to power.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2012

For the next three centuries, the Toltecs ruled over the heart of Mexico from their capital at Tula.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2012

Along with the crops, they were useful commodities in the marketplaces of each city in the trade networks initially established by the Toltecs.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz