At the end of the fourteenth century, the Aztecs established themselves as the leading nation in the region of modern-day central Mexico. Their power grew over the next 150 years, until their empire extended from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The Aztecs were warriors who conquered neighboring nations, but they themselves believed in the overwhelming influence wielded by the gods on earth and its inhabitants. In order to appease the gods, the Aztecs built monumental temples, where they committed sacrifices; like most Mesoamerican gods, the Aztec gods fed on human blood.