Mythologis
The Toltec Mythology Book: Quetzalcoatl, Tezcatlipoca, and the Lost City of Tula

Toltec Mythology

The Toltec Mythology Book: Quetzalcoatl, Tezcatlipoca, and the Lost City of Tula

Quetzalcoatl, Tezcatlipoca, and the Lost City of Tula

The myths of the Toltecs, the master-builders the Aztecs remembered as the source of all civilization: the priest-king Quetzalcoatl and his fall, the dark sorcerer Tezcatlipoca, the morning star, and the stone warriors who still stand guard over the ruins of Tula.

150 pagesPDFEnglishMythologis Library

$14.99

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Inside this book

What you will read

  • 11 chapters, primary sources
  • Instant PDF download
  • Original ink illustrations
  • Inline citations to the Nahua codices
  • Designed for print quality
See all chapters  +
  1. 01Tollan Remembered: The Aztec Dream of the Toltecs
  2. 02Tula: The City of the Stone Warriors
  3. 03Mixcoatl, the Cloud Serpent, and the Founding of a People
  4. 04Ce Acatl Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl, the Priest-King
  5. 05The Feathered Serpent and the Morning Star
  6. 06Tezcatlipoca, the Smoking Mirror
  7. 07The Fall of Quetzalcoatl and the Flight from Tula
  8. 08The Promise to Return: A Myth and Its Long Shadow
  9. 09The Gods and Rites of the Toltec World
  10. 10The Fall of Tula
  11. 11Toltecayotl: The Legacy of the Toltecs

About this book

About this Toltec mythology guide

The myths of the people the Aztecs called the source of all civilization: the priest-king Quetzalcoatl, the sorcerer Tezcatlipoca, and the fall of golden Tula.

Long before the Aztecs raised Tenochtitlan, they looked back to a golden age and a people they called the Toltecs, the master-craftsmen of Tula, who they believed had invented writing, medicine, the calendar, and art itself. To be skilled at anything was to be a 'toltec.' Whether that golden city was wholly real or half-remembered dream, its shadow fell across all of Mesoamerica.

This book tells its story. At the center stands Ce Acatl Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl, the priest-king who took the name of the Feathered Serpent, turned against human sacrifice, and was worshipped as the planet Venus, the morning star. Against him moves Tezcatlipoca, the Smoking Mirror, the god of sorcery and night, who tricked Quetzalcoatl into disgrace and drove him into exile. Quetzalcoatl sailed east on a raft of serpents, promising to return one day: a promise that would echo, centuries later, when Cortes landed on the same coast.

Drawn from the Nahua sources, the Florentine Codex, the Anales de Cuauhtitlan, and the archaeology of Tula, every chapter cites its sources.

Delivered as a print-quality PDF within 24 hours of purchase.

What you will discover inside

  • Why the Aztecs remembered the Toltecs as the inventors of all art and knowledge
  • Ce Acatl Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl, the priest-king who became the Feathered Serpent
  • How Quetzalcoatl was worshipped as Venus, the morning star
  • Tezcatlipoca, the Smoking Mirror, and the sorcery that brought Quetzalcoatl down
  • The promise to return that would later haunt the Spanish conquest
  • The Atlantean stone warriors that still stand on the pyramid at Tula

Toltec mythology book at a glance

TraditionToltec mythology
Chapters11 chapters
Length150 pages
SourcesDrawn from the primary sources, cited inline
Reading levelBeginner-friendly. Every name and place is explained from scratch
FormatPrint-quality PDF
DeliveryPDF within 24 hours

Formats and editions

EditionWhat you getPrice
Instant PDFPrint-quality download, readable on any device. PDF within 24 hours.$7.99
PaperbackA paperback edition is on the way. Sign up on this page to hear when it lands on Amazon.Coming soon

About the author

Guillaume Henry, founder of Mythologis

Guillaume Henry

Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Mythologis

Guillaume Henry founded Mythologis to make the world's mythologies readable without losing what makes them strange. Every Mythologis book draws on the primary sources first, cross-references multiple translations, and avoids inventing details that aren't in the originals.

More about the author

Keep exploring Toltec mythology

Prefer to read before you buy? These free, fully sourced guides cover the same gods, myths and sources you will meet in the book.

Read the complete Toltec mythology guide

Questions about the Toltec mythology book

When will I receive my PDF?

Within 24 hours of purchase. Your download link arrives in your inbox automatically.

Is this book based on primary sources?

Yes. It draws on the Nahua sources that preserved the Toltec legend, above all the Florentine Codex of Bernardino de Sahagun, the Anales de Cuauhtitlan and the Leyenda de los Soles, set beside the archaeology of Tula, with references to the standard editions.

Did the Toltecs really exist, or are they a legend?

Both, in a sense, and the book is honest about it. There was a real city at Tula that flourished around 900 to 1150 CE. But most of what we know comes from the Aztecs, who idealized the Toltecs as a lost golden age. The book separates the archaeology from the myth where it can, and explains why the two are so tangled.

How is this different from the Aztec book?

The Toltecs came first, and the Aztecs consciously modeled themselves on them. This book is about that earlier, half-legendary world and its central drama, the fall of Quetzalcoatl, while the Aztec and Mesoamerican volumes cover the later empires in their own right.

How long is the book?

Eleven chapters, around 150 pages depending on the final layout. Designed to be read in evenings or in one long sitting.

Will there be a paperback on Amazon?

The PDF is available immediately. A KDP paperback edition follows once the book has been validated by readers.

What formats is this book available in?

Every title is available as an instant PDF, downloaded the moment you buy it: the link appears on the confirmation page and lands in your inbox. Selected titles also have a paperback edition on Amazon. Where the paperback is not out yet, you can sign up to be notified the day it does.

What is the return policy?

The PDF is delivered instantly by Mythologis. If a download ever fails or a file looks wrong, get in touch and we will make it right. Paperbacks bought on Amazon are handled under Amazon's own returns and refund policy.

Can I order from outside the United States?

Yes. The PDF is a digital download, so it works instantly anywhere in the world, with nothing to ship. Where a paperback edition exists, it is sold across Amazon's international marketplaces, with shipping rates and delivery times depending on your country.

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