Why do so many of Mexico's cultures end with "-mec" and "-tec"?

Question

You know, OlMEC, TolTEC, ZapoTEC, AzTEC... is it like their word for culture, of nation, or something? Please help!

Answer 1

Pretty close, actually.

'Toltec' actually originally meant 'an inhabitant of Tollan'.
'Aztec' meant 'an inhabitant of Aztlan'.
'Zapotec' is a version of a word meaning 'inhabitant of Sapote'.

...and so on. All those regions may not share the same exact language, but they share a family of languages which use words in the same way. So the '-ec' at the end usually means 'someone who lives in such and such a place' to all of them.

And so we use the terms to refer to those people as well. Hope that helps!