Aztec

The Aztecs were a Native American tribe who lived in the southern regions of North America. They formed a powerful and advanced empire in 14th century, which eventually fell to Spanish conquerers by the 16th century.

The Aztecs were notorious for performing human sacrifice, cutting out the hearts of their victims with obsidian shards. David Rabin reflected on this as Spock cut a barbed thorn out of his arm on Vulcan in 2247. 

The Aztecs worshipped a winged serpent known as Quetzalcoatl. In the 23rd century, this being was discovered to be a real alien creature, who had visited Earth as well as a Klingon world in prehistory.