when the latter's arrival was mistaken as the prophesied
return of Quetzalcoatl. A Teotihuacan god, Quetzalcoatl was said to have sacrificed himself to enable the birth of the sun. He
was also associated with Venus, the morning star, the predictable presence of the late evening or early morning that was linked to the sun's daily sacrifice, that is, its death and rebirth in the form of its passage through the underworld. Quetzalcoatl's story was merged with history. Ce Acatl Topiltzin, one of the earliest Toltec rulers, was driven out of Tula around 1000 by the warrior god Tezatlipoca, who demanded a constant supply of human. hearts in sacrifice. Quetzalcoatl vowed to return to Tula from the east in one of his sacred years and take his vengeance,
but meanwhile sacrifices to Topiltzin were required.