Which Mesoamerican peoples spoke Nahuatl?

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Map of Mesoamerica showing the geographic distribution of various Indigenous peoples, with regions labeled for groups such as the Maya, Nahua, Zapotec, Mixtec, Otomi, Mazahua, Huastec, Tarasco, and others across present-day Mexico and parts of Central America. Boundaries indicate the approximate areas inhabited by each group. — Mesoamerican Indian Distribution of Meso-American Indians.

Nahuatl was the primary language of the Aztec and Toltec civilizations. As a member of the Uto-Aztecan linguistic family, it served as a lingua franca across a vast region of Mesoamerica following the political ascendancy of the Aztecs.12

The language was spoken by various Nahua groups throughout central and western Mexico. While Classical Nahuatl is most famously associated with the Aztecs, modern dialects continue to be spoken today, categorized by their treatment of the tl sound:32
* Central and northern dialects: Retain the tl sound (Nahuatl).2
* Eastern dialects (e.g., Veracruz): Replace tl with t (Nahuat).2
* Western dialects (e.g., Michoacán and México): Replace tl with l (Nahual).2