In central Mexico one chief power center after the decline of Teotihuacán was Xochicalco, a hilltop site in Cuernavaca, Morelos with Mayan influences and impressive evidence of a feathered serpent cult. Cholula may have been another, Tula 65km north of Mexico City, is thought to have been the capital of great emprire referred to by later Aztec "histories" as that of the Toltecs (Artificers).

Another archaeological site in central Mexico  is located on a mountainside in Malinalco, southeast of Toluca. Malinalco was once a  ceremonial center for Aztec warriors. The circular temple is renowned for its  magnificent jaguar and eagle figures carved out of the mountain.

Tepoztlan, just 25  minutes from Cuernavaca or one hour from Mexico City, is home to the ruins of a temple dedicated to the god Tepoztecatl, the god of pulque, a still popular fermented drink made from the spiky maguey plant.