Overview
The Toltec Indians established their empire during the 900's, with a major city at Tula, north of present-day Mexico City. Toltec influence spread throughout the central and southern regions of Mexico. This influence included the use of stone pillars to support roofs, the worship of the feathered-serpent god Quetzalcoatl, and human sacrifice in religion. The Toltec Indians were the dominant people in the central Mexican highlands from about 900 to 1200, when invading Chichimec tribes destroyed the empire. By the early 1400's, the Aztec had replaced the Toltec as the most powerful people in central Mexico.