TOLTEC RELIGION: CHARACTERISTICS, GODS AND CUSTOMS - HISTORY - 2025

The religion of the Toltecs was polytheistic - that is, a believer in multiple gods - in which Quetzalcóatl and Tezcatlipoca emerged as the most important of all. However, the Toltec culture was characterized by having a military caste that was the most important, displacing the priestly caste that used to exercise administrative and political control in many of the ancient civilizations.

The Toltec culture preceded the Aztec in Mesoamerica and existed between 900 to 1200 AD. They settled in the central plateau of the area that today occupies the states of Tlaxcala, Mexico, Hidalgo, Morelos and Puebla, in Mexico.

Temple dedicated to the Toltec religion

Tula (or Tollan) was its capital, located in a fertile valley watered by a river and protected by a series of hills and hills such as Xicocot, which is why the city was also called Tollan-Xicocotitlan.

The main characteristics of the Toltec religion are the following

1- Polytheistic religion. Belief in multiple gods.

2- Shamanic religion. This means that they did not exercise their religious practices in a permanent place of worship such as a temple, but they did so in various places according to the circumstances, mainly in outdoor ceremonies.

3- Pantheistic religion. In pantheism, God is also nature and the universe, so the Toltecs worshiped heaven, water, earth, the sun as a fertilizing force, etc.

4- Dualistic religion. Its main gods are antagonistic and opposed: Quetzalcóatl is the opposite of Tezcatlipoca.

5- Esoteric religion. They kept part of their religious beliefs and practices secret.

The Toltec gods

Like many of the pre-Hispanic peoples of Mesoamerica, the Toltecs had multiple gods that they worshiped. Here are the main ones:

Quetzalcoatl

He is one of the most complex and fascinating gods in all of Mesoamerica. It was considered a reptilian monster, being represented as a feathered serpent.

His main functions were fertility and creativity, but as he grew in importance, other attributes or functions were added to him, such as creator, Lord of the Winds and Evening Star, god of the planet Venus and cultural hero.

Tezcatlipoca

In Nahuatl, it means smoking black mirror, which is why it is related to the jade mirrors that were used for mystical and divinatory purposes.

He is the lord of heaven and earth, source of life, guardianship and protection of man, origin of power and happiness, owner of battles, omnipresent, strong and invisible. It was related to night and darkness, so it is always represented in black.

It is the antagonistic of Quetzalcóatl, to the point that sometimes the latter is called Tezcatlipoca blanco. It is the classic representation of good and evil that in the Western Catholic religion is represented by God and the Devil.

The legend tells that Tezcatlipoca sent Quetzalcóatl into exile. It was associated with the jaguar, an animal related to witchcraft in Mesoamerican cultures.

Centeoltl

In Mesoamerican mythologies he was literally the god of corn. She was originally a goddess and became a dual god, male-female, or simply the male version, since the female became Xicomecoahc.

Itztlacoliuhque

He was the god of disaster, temperature, and obsidian, particularly of obsidian objects in the shape of knives.

He is also alternately identified as a part of the gods Quetzalcóatl or Tezcatlipoca.

Mixcoatl

He is the god of hunting. Its name means cloud serpent, and it was also associated with the Milky Way. He was the creator of celestial fire, men and war.

Their graphic representations have certain variations depending on the geographical place in which they were made.

Tlaloc

He is the god of rain and fertility, although he is known by other names in other areas of Mesoamerica.

Originally it represented terrestrial water, while the feathered serpent represented celestial water.

It is originally from the Teotihuacán culture; at the fall of the city, he went to Tula and from there his cult spread among the Nahuatl peoples.

Tloque nahuaque

Deity of the creation of the universe, symbol of the beginning of all that exists and the philosophical notion of the word "téotl" among men.

He is considered the father of everything, of intelligence, the one who brings order to chaos, harmonizer of life and protector of nature.

He is the father god of the Nahuatl faith and religion, the creative principle of everything, the grandfather of fire and the father of Quetzalcóatl and Tezcatlipoca; all the little gods are parts of him.

Xipé totec

He is usually shown wearing someone else's skin or his own that appears to be marked by smallpox.

This is due to the legend that says that at the beginning of creation Xipé Totec sacrificed himself by gouging out his own eyes and skinning himself alive so that the corn could germinate and that his people could survive.

He is the son of the first divine couple and brother of Quetzalcóatl and Tezcatlipoca. It symbolizes the greenery of nature that returns every year and represents the gold workers.

You may be interested The 30 most important Toltec gods.

Religious customs

Human sacrifices

Human sacrifices were common religious customs within the Toltecs. For them it was a form of communion and service to the gods, since they considered that their lives depended and existed thanks to them.

The main human offerings are believed to have been war captives, although more recent findings suggest that children between 5 and 15 years of age were also offered.

These findings allow us to know that the way to sacrifice them was by cutting their throats and sacrificing them collectively.

Funeral customs

The archaeological discoveries allow to assure that there were two types of burials: dorsal decubitus or fetal position, or they were cremated and the ashes were buried in vessels.

The skulls were artificially deformed into a tubular shape and the teeth were worked.

Esoteric knowledge (The 4 agreements)

Toltec esoteric knowledge was inherited and transmitted from generation to generation.

Among them are the so-called "four agreements" that became famous in the last century when they were published in the form of a self-help book by the Mexican doctor Miguel Ruiz, assuring that it was based on Toltec wisdom.

These agreements are nothing more than ethical principles of conduct that, in reality, because of their simplicity, it is very good to remember and put into practice today. The four agreements can be summarized as:

1- "Be impeccable with your words"

2- "Don't take anything personally"

3- "Don't make assumptions"

4- "Always do your best"

References

1. JR Acosta (2010) Magazine of the National Archeology Coordination, Page 257. Recovered from magazines.inah.gob.mx.
2. Jorge Javier Hernández Gallardo. Pre-Hispanic History II. Recovered from ipesad.edu.mx
3. The Toltecs. Recovered from ux1.eiu.edu.
4. Toltec culture. Recovered from historiacultural.com.
5. Mexico discovers the first sacrifice of children in Toltec culture. Reuters. News of 04.17.2007. Recovered from 20minutos.es.
6. "Toltec mythology" and "the four agreements". Recovered from es.wikipedia.org.