AZTEC refers to the indigenous people who dominated central Mexico from the 14th to 16th centuries, or relating to their empire, culture, and language. The Aztecs built one of the most sophisticated civilizations in the Americas, centered at Tenochtitlan (modern-day Mexico City). The word is particularly valuable in word games due to the high-scoring Z (10 points), making it a strategic play when positioned on premium squares.
No. AZTEC is not in the Scrabble-style word list used by our tools (proper nouns, abbreviations and most slang are excluded), so it cannot be played in Scrabble, Words With Friends or Wordfeud. If it were allowed, its tiles would add up to 16 points in Scrabble.
| Letter | A | Z | T | E | C | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scrabble | 1 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 16 |
| Words With Friends | 1 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 17 |
| Wordfeud | 1 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 17 |
The word AZTEC primarily refers to the Mexica people, an indigenous civilization that flourished in central Mexico from approximately 1300 to 1521 CE. As a noun, it denotes a member of this Native American people, while as an adjective, it describes anything relating to their culture, language (Nahuatl), or empire.
The Aztec Empire was a triple alliance between the city-states of Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, and Tlacopan. At its height, it controlled most of central Mexico through a sophisticated system of tribute, trade, and military conquest. The capital, Tenochtitlan, was one of the largest cities in the world at the time, featuring advanced urban planning, impressive architecture, and complex social organization.
In modern usage, "Aztec" often refers to the artistic, architectural, and cultural legacy of this civilization, including their distinctive geometric patterns, stepped pyramids, and rich mythology. The term has also entered popular culture, appearing in everything from sports team names to architectural styles, though such usage sometimes oversimplifies the complexity of the actual civilization.
The word Aztec derives from "Aztecatl" in Nahuatl, meaning "someone from Aztlan." Aztlan was the mythical homeland of the Mexica people, described in their origin stories as an island in a lake somewhere to the north of their eventual empire. The name literally translates to "place of whiteness" or "place of herons."
Anagrams: no other word uses exactly the letters of AZTEC.
Words inside AZTEC: 16 shorter words can be made from these letters – highest scoring: ZETAZACATETACEACEACTCATATEEATETATAETEA. See all words from AZTEC.