The Religion of the Toltecs It was polytheistic - that is, a believer of many gods - in which Quetzalcoatl 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 sacerdotal 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 and 1200 AD. They settled in the central plateau of the zone that today occupies the states of Tlaxcala, Mexico, Hidalgo, Morelos and Puebla, in Mexico.
Tula (or Tollan) was its capital, located in a fertile valley watered by a river and protected by a series of hills and hills as the Xicocot, reason why the city also was called Tollan-Xicocotitlan.
The main characteristics of Toltec religion are the following
1- Polytheistic religion . Belief in multiple gods.
2- Shamanic religion . This means that they did not practice their religious practices in a permanent place of worship as a temple, but did so in various places according to circumstances, especially 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, and so on.
4- Dualistic religion . Their main gods are antagonistic and opposed: Quetzalcoatl is the opposite of Tezcatlipoca.
5- Esoteric religion . They kept secret some of their religious beliefs and practices.
The Toltec gods
Like many of the pre-Hispanic peoples of Mesoamerica, the Toltecs had many gods whom they worshiped. Then the main ones:
Quetzalcoatl
He is one of the most complex and fascinating gods of all Mesoamerica. He was regarded as a reptilian monster, being represented as a feathered serpent.
His main functions were of fertility and creativity, but as he grew in importance, he was annexed other attributes or functions, as creator, Lord of the Winds and Star of the Evening, god of the planet Venus and cultural hero.
Tezcatlipoca
In Nahuatl Means steaming black mirror, so it is related to 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, source 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 antagonist of Quetzalcoatl, to the point that sometimes the latter is called white Tezcatlipoca. 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 into exile Quetzalcoatl. He was associated with the jaguar, an animal related to witchcraft in Mesoamerican cultures.
Centeoltl
In the mythologies of Mesoamerica was literally the god of corn. Originally she was a goddess and happened to be a dual god, man-woman, or simply the masculine version, since the feminine happened to be Xicomecoahc.
Itztlacoliuhque
It was the god of disasters, temperature and obsidian, particularly obsidian objects in the form of knives.
It is also alternatively identified as a part of the Quetzalcoatl or Tezcatlipoca gods.
Mixcoatl
He is the god of the hunt. Its name means serpent of clouds, and was also associated with the Milky Way. He was the creator of heavenly fire, men and war.
Their graphical representations have certain variations depending on the geographical place in which they were realized.
Tlaloc
It is the god of rain and fertility, although it is known by other names in other areas of Mesoamerica.
Originally it represented the terrestrial water, whereas the feathered serpent represented the celestial water.
It originates from the Culture of Teotihuacán ; To the fall of the city, happened to Tula and from there its cult was scattered among the towns Nahuatl.
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 the whole, of intelligence, who puts order to chaos, harmonizer of life and protector of nature.
He is the god father of the faith and the Nahuatl religion, the creative principle of everything, god grandfather of the fire and father of Quetzalcóatl and Tezcatlipoca; All the little gods are parts of it.
Xipé totec
It is usually shown on the skin of another person or his own that appears to be marked by smallpox.
This is due to the legend that says that at the beginning of the creation Xipé Totec sacrificed himself by tearing out his own eyes and skinning alive so that the corn could germinate and his people could survive.
He is the son of the first divine couple and brother of Quetzalcoatl 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 customary 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 they existed thanks to these.
It is believed that the main human offerings were captives of war, 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 of sacrificing them was by cutting them off and collectively sacrificing them.
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 buried in vessels.
The skulls were artificially deformed in tubular form 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 as a self-help book by the Mexican physician Miguel Ruiz, assuring that it was based on the Toltec wisdom.
These agreements are nothing more than ethical principles of conduct which, in reality, by its simplicity, comes very well to remember and put into practice in our days. The four agreements can be summarized as follows:
1-"Be impeccable with your words"
2-"Do not take anything personally"
3-"Do not make assumptions"
4-"Always do your best"
References
- JR Acosta (2010) Magazine of the National Coordination of Archeology, Page 257. Retrieved from magazines.inah.gob.mx.
- Jorge Javier Hernández Gallardo. Prehispanic History II. Retrieved from ipesad.edu.mx
- The Toltecs. Recovered from ux1.eiu.edu.
- Toltec Culture. Recovered from historiacultural.com.
- Mexico discovers the first sacrifice of children in Toltec culture. Reuters. News of 17.04.2007. Recovered from 20minutos.es.
- "Toltec mythology"and"the four agreements". Recovered from es.wikipedia.org.