THE 30 MOST IMPORTANT TOLTEC GODS - HISTORY - 2024

The Toltec gods and the mythology that surrounds them are an intrinsic part of this Mesoamerican people that had its heyday when they settled in the Mexican highlands between the 10th and 12th centuries, long before the arrival of the first settlers to America.

According to historical records, despite being a nomadic culture, they began a pilgrimage from the north of more than a century in the year 511 until they founded the city of Tula, which lasted 348 years until the arrival of the Aztecs.

There they settled, created cities, developed their culture and formed a belief system with an influence that extended to Zacatecas and Yucatán. Their language was Nahuatl, the form of government was a monarchy and they left an important artistic, cultural, architectural and mythological legacy in the cultures that survived them.

Toltec means "Dweller of Tula", referring to the fact that after a long pilgrimage they anchored their residence in central Mexico, but over the years that name was also used to call artisans.

Its economy was based on agriculture, mainly corn and beans, and society was organized into two groups: the privileged, among whom were the hierarchs, the military, the officials, the supreme ruler and the priests; and the servile, the workers and artisans.

Like all pre-Columbian peoples, they had a strong mythological imprint, with a large pantheon of gods and a vast belief system. Her religion was shamanic and she had no permanent place of worship.

Worshipers of the forces of nature such as heaven, water and earth, their belief system was dualistic. The two supreme principles were Quetzalcóatl (beautiful serpent, represents good) and Tezcatlipoca (black mirror, figure of evil).

Like so many other pre-Columbian cultures, the Toltecs also performed human sacrifices, as a form of communion and services to the gods. However, they conceived divinity in a different way from other civilizations, they believed that the Supreme Being has a double condition: he creates the world but he also destroys it.

The Toltecs worshiped and adopted all the gods they heard of, so they had more than 400 gods, many of them shared with other cultures. Here we will repair the 30 outstanding figures of his pantheon.

30 of the most important Toltec gods

1- Quetzalcoatl

Source: http://www.crystalinks.com/quetzalcoatl.html The main god of the Toltec civilization, shared with the Mayans, Aztecs and other peoples, represents the god of life, light, wisdom, fertility and knowledge.

He was considered the patron of the day and of the winds, he resided in the west and was considered a "beautiful or feathered serpent", referring to his physical and spiritual body, respectively.

In the legend of the five suns, Quetzalcóatl was the one who gave rise to the fifth Sun (in which we now live) and thus together with Xólotl created humanity. That is why he is considered as the main god.

Its name is that of "feathered serpent", because it is a material physical body, according to the concept of a serpent in these cultures, and it is also spirit, which is what feathers represent.

2- Tezcatlipoca

Source: This image was created with Adobe Photoshop. Designated as the duality of Quetzalcóatl, in his destructive role. He was the god of night and destiny, lord of heaven and earth, also a source of life and shelter for man.

Among other characteristics, it stands out that of being a black or smoky mirror, with it he could see everything and annihilate his enemies. He was a sorcerer, soothsayer and expert in black magic.

3- Tlaloc

Source: Tlaloc?.Djvu: Leopoldo Batresderivative work: Theornamentalist God of rain and waters. He is one of the oldest and most revered deities in Mesoamerica, his name was translated as the "nectar of the earth" and it was he who was worshiped during the first month of the year to guarantee a rainy season, which would make it bloom crops.

4- Matlalcueye

Source: Anxisal Considered in the Toltec pantheon as the goddess of living water and fresh water currents. Its name meant "Owner of the green skirt", where the cause of the rivers arose. She was the wife of Tlaloc.

5- Huixtocihuatl

Source: This image was created with Adobe Photoshop. It could be considered as a duality of Matlalcueye, although it is not registered in all cultures in the same way. She was the goddess of fertility, lady of salt and salty water.

His cult was with human sacrifices in which all the women sang and danced around the victim dressed as a goddess.

6- Xochiquétzal

Source: See page for author Goddess of beauty, flowers, love, loving pleasure and the arts. It was worshiped with marigold flowers to achieve its grace. She was also the wife of Tlaloc.

7- Cipactli

Source: This image was created with Adobe Photoshop. One of the gods shared with other cultures, is the god who provides food, represents the first man and his wife. For the Aztecs it was considered the first sea monster.

8- Tonacacihuatl

Source: This image was created with Adobe Photoshop. Considered as the first woman, for the Toltec culture she was the goddess of the protogon of sustenance, of furtiveness, of the inert and inherent.

9- Mixcoatl

Source: This image was created with Adobe Photoshop. Patron of hunters, he is also known under the name Camaxtli. Before going hunting, the Toltecs entrusted themselves to him in search of fortune and the necessary courage.

10- Xipe Totec

God of freedom, he was as fast as the wind and could pass through matter. He was depicted with blue wings.

12- Itztlacoliuhqui

Source: Ptcamn ~ commonswiki

One of the dark gods of the Toltec pantheon, he was considered the god of cold, ice, winter, punishment, sin, human miseries, disasters and obsidian, a black stone.

Tribute was paid to him as lord of sacrifices and knives. It fought with the Sun, which is why it is related to low temperatures and frosts.

13- Ehécatl

Source: Xjunajpù He is the god of the wind and one of the first divinities of the mystical culture of the Mesoamerican peoples. These civilizations recognized the importance of the four elements: air, earth, fire and water, which served as rulers of their beliefs.

The wind was linked to storms, humidity, life and the regeneration of plants. He was represented with a red beak, with which he cleared the way to Tlaloc, the god of rain.

14- Xólotl

Source: Xjunajpù God of the sunset, the spirits, the fire of wisdom and bad luck. He was the lord of the evening star and of the underworld, which leads the Sun as he passes through it.

15- Xochipilli

Source: This image was created with Adobe Photoshop. Prince of flowers, lord of the morning sun, is considered a festive god, ruler of music, spring, dance, musical instruments and vegetation.

It is related to love, entertainment and chance. His cult was one of the most important of the Mesoamerican pantheons.

16- Citlallicue

Creator goddess of the stars, lady of the Milky Way, her name means "that of the lack of stars." Each culture has different legends about their husbands and real names.

17- Citlalatonac

He is the god of the male stars, he is associated with Citlallicue, with whom they would have created the Milky Way. Its name in Nahuatl means "bright star."

18- Ometéotl

Source: Brantz Mayer God of duality, considered the creator god of the universe, of men and also the supreme god of all that exists. His name means "god of two". He had four gods as sons, who are located one in each cardinal point.

19- Mictlantecuhtli

Source: Ptcamn ~ commonswiki The "old coyote" was the god of dance, the arts and plumaria, for the Toltecs he represented the properties of beasts: ferocity, bravery, fighting, which they considered fundamental elements for war.

21- Xiuhtecuhtli

Source: This image was created with Adobe Photoshop. As his name says is "the lord of the grass", he is considered as the god of fire and heat. In the different Mesoamerican cultures, this representation was different.

22- Itzpapálotl

Source: Giggette Its name translates to "obsidian butterfly" and for the Toltecs it represents a central deity of their belief system. She was the goddess of sacrifices and war.

He had razors on his wings and his figure represented rebirth and regeneration. Those born under her day were assured of a long life.

23- Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli

Source: Codex Telleriano-Remensis This god is associated with the vital energy of dawn, since his name represents "the morning star". It is another of the divinities shared by several cultures, in which it was worshiped associated with Venus.

During the Toltec civilization, a huge temple was built in Tula, which still stands today.

24- Metztli

Source: Akapochtli This deity was also shared with other civilizations, such as the goddess of the Moon. Her name means "face of the serpent", which was related to her dominion over storms, floods or the happiness that water could bring to life.

25- Toci

Source: British_Museum_Huaxtec_1.jpg: Gryffindorderivative work: Ophelia.summers Her name is the focus of discussions, but her cult is always associated with the care of health and the maintenance of life, that is why she is considered the goddess of doctors, midwives and surgeons.

26- Cihuacoatl

Source: Mariel Corona "Serpent Woman", according to her translation is considered the goddess of birth. Its veneration among Mesoamerican cultures is associated with medicine, health, abortions and the wounded.

27- Atlacoya

Another of the shared divinities, goddess of drought, her name means sad water, it represents austerity and hopelessness. It is feared for being the eater of fertility.

28- Ixtlilton

Source: This image was created with Adobe Photoshop. He was also for the Toltecs the god of medicine, dances, festivals and games. He was worshiped for his healing domains.

29- Huitzilopochtli

Source: This image was created with Adobe Photoshop. In the Tula civilization he was the god of war, as in others. "Hummingbird of the south or left hummingbird" was the representation of his name and is associated as ruler of the Sun.

30- Tonacatecuhtli

Source: This image was created with Adobe Photoshop. In Nahuatl his name is made up of the words that represent the lord of sustenance. He is regarded as one of the creator gods of all.

This deity is common to all Mesoamerican culture, with different venerations, but with equal importance for being one of the central deities.

He is the god of creation and fertility, lord of nature, he was the source of daily sustenance. He was a kind and brotherly divinity, who dominated food.

According to the legends, it was Tonacatecuhtli who blew and divided the waters of heaven and earth, which after creation were together. That is why it is considered the being of the center.