Without a metaphor, it meant at first one of the far darting, bright shining rays of the sun.

Not only does the tenor of the whole myth show this, but specifically and clearly the powers attributed to the ancient Toltecs.

As the immediate subjects of the God of Light they were called "Those who fly the whole day without resting,"[2] and it was said of them that they had the power of reaching instantly even a very distant place.

When the Light-God himself departs, they too disappear, and their city is left uninhabited and desolate.
[Footnote 1: Toltecatl, according to Molina, is "oficial de arte mecanica o maestro," (_Vocabulario de la Lengua Mexicana_, s.v.).

This is a secondary meaning.