Home Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture Money Videos
Toltec
Toltec
Table of Contents
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
Images
El Castillo, a Toltec-style pyramid, Chichén Itzá, Yucatán state, Mexico Columns depicting Toltec warriors, Tula, Mexico. Toltec statue Chac Mool, Mayan-Toltec sculpture, c. 1000, from Chichén Itzá, Yucatán, Mex.; in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Chac Mool. Toltec stone columns
Read Next
The Castillo, a Toltec-style pyramid, rises 79 feet (24 meters) above the plaza at Chichen Itza in Yucatan state, Mexico. The pyramid was built after invaders conquered the ancient Maya city in the tenth century.
What’s Inside the Pyramid at Chichén Itzá?
The Colosseum, Rome, Italy. Giant amphitheatre built in Rome under the Flavian emperors. (ancient architecture; architectural ruins)
New Seven Wonders of the World
Panoramic view at sunrise of moai, Ahu Tongariki, Easter Island (Rapa Nui), Chile
6 Lost Civilizations
Discover
Moonrise over Tucson, Arizona
Why Doesn’t Arizona Observe Daylight Saving Time?
Still from the film Deliverance, 1919. The story of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan. View shows Keller in the cockpit/front seat of an airplane.
How Did Helen Keller Fly a Plane?
The Colosseum, Rome, Italy. Giant amphitheatre built in Rome under the Flavian emperors. (ancient architecture; architectural ruins)
New Seven Wonders of the World
Cathedrale St.Jean in Lyon, France has a 14th-century astronomical clock that shows religious feast days till the year 2019; Perpetual Calendar
Ten Days That Vanished: The Switch to the Gregorian Calendar
Alexandria, Egypt - September 12, 2014 - Wedding Bridesmaids Competition, reward for Best Bridesmaids for participation in competitions. Prize for victory
Who Votes for the Academy Awards?
Aphrodite. Greek mythology. Sculpture. Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love and beauty.
12 Greek Gods and Goddesses
Close up of a hand placing a ballot in a ballot box. Election vote voter voting
Have Any U.S. Presidents Decided Not to Run For a Second Term?
people
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Toltec
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Toltec
Article History
El Castillo, a Toltec-style pyramid, Chichén Itzá, Yucatán state, Mexico
El Castillo, a Toltec-style pyramid, Chichén Itzá, Yucatán state, Mexico
See all media
Category: Geography & Travel
Key People:
Sir Edward Burnett Tylor
Related Topics:
pre-Columbian civilizations
Mesoamerican civilization
Chac Mool
plumbate ware
See all related content →

Toltec, Nahuatl-speaking tribe who held sway over what is now central Mexico from the 10th to the 12th century ce. The name has many meanings: an “urbanite,” a “cultured” person, and, literally, the “reed person,” derived from their urban centre, Tollan (“Place of the Reeds”), near the modern town of Tula, about 50 miles (80 km) north of Mexico City. The Toltecs sacked and burned the great city of Teotihuacán about 900 ce. Tradition tells that this occurred under the leadership of Mixcóatl (“Cloud Serpent”). Under his son, Ce Acatl Topiltzin Quetzalcóatl, they formed a number of small states of ...(100 of 252 words)

Access the full article
Help support true facts by becoming a member.