Atlantean figures at Tula, Toltec warrior statues in Tula, Hidalgo, Mexico

The Atlantean figures are four anthropomorphic statues carved from assembled blocks of basalt, standing over 4.5 metres tall on top of Pyramid B, the Temple of Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli. Each wears a cylindrical headdress with a textured band, a butterfly pectoral, and a belt with a shield-like panel at the waist; on their sides are a flint knife, a curved obsidian blade, and an atlatl with darts.

The four figures stood on Pyramid B, the Temple of Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, in Tollan-Xicocotitlan, a city founded around AD 700 whose height fell between 900 and 1000, when it covered nearly 16 km². Archaeologist Jorge Ruffier Acosta uncovered them in 1940, accompanied by the young Spanish writer and archaeologist Raimon Galí. Their carving date is not fixed; the Toltec empire's construction from about AD 750 gives the earliest possible moment. Aztec sculptors later made five basalt warriors around 1500, now in the Museo Nacional de Antropología, following the Toltec model.

The figures depict Quetzalcóatl as Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, the Morning Star, dressed as a Toltec warrior. Their butterfly breastplates recall the belief that warriors fallen in battle became butterflies accompanying the sun at dawn. Look for the curved obsidian knife at the shoulder, the atlatl in the left hand and the darts held in the right.

The four figures stand on the platform of Pyramid B, reached by the site's stairways; the top offers a view over the main plaza and the Burned Palace to the northeast. The archaeological zone covers only about 12% of the former Toltec city, so allow time to walk between the excavated buildings.

The figures once held up the roof of the temple that stood on the pyramid. Their name Atlanteans refers to this supporting role, not to the sunken land.