Meet the Gods of Sun and Sacrifice
Step into the dazzling world of ancient Mesoamerica with this engaging and accessible guide to Aztec mythology.
Explore the legends, gods, and cosmic cycles that defined one of the most powerful civilizations in the Americas. Far from a dry academic text, Myths, Gods, and Rituals of Aztec Mythology brings these ancient stories to life with vivid detail and cultural insight. Readers are introduced to the core beliefs of the Aztec people, including their view of the cosmos, the importance of rituals, and their reverence for nature’s forces. Through simple yet powerful storytelling, Matthew Torres offers a beginner-friendly entry point into one of history’s most fascinating mythologies.
Perfect for curious minds and first-time learners, this book breaks down complex Aztec myths with clarity and captivating storytelling. From the epic creation story of the Five Suns to the mythic journeys through the underworld, Torres makes it easy to understand how the Aztecs explained life, death, and the universe. You'll meet gods like Quetzalcoatl, Tezcatlipoca, and Huitzilopochtli, and explore their symbolic meanings and roles in Aztec society. With a strong sense of narrative and attention to historical context, this book connects the dots between myth, daily life, and cultural legacy.
Inside, you’ll find:
- An easy-to-follow overview of major Aztec gods like Quetzalcoatl and Huitzilopochtli, plus underworld spirits, elemental deities, and cosmic forces.
- Cultural context that brings myths to life, including the sacred Aztec calendar, rituals, and worldview of cyclical time.
- Myths and beliefs reimagined for modern readers, from the epic Five Suns creation story to the spiritual meanings behind sacrifice and daily life.
If you liked Native American Stories for Kids, Fifth Sun, or The Other Ancient Civilisations, you’ll love Myths, Gods, and Rituals of Aztec Mythology.
Introduction
“The truth is told best when it is told as a story.”
—Hélène Elizabeth Louise Amélie Paula Dolores Poniatowska Amor
Aztec myths were never meant to be read like history books. If this book was filled with the mythologies, as directly told like a textbook would, it would last only a few pages, and most stories would read as such:
In the Era of the First Sun, Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca fought. Quetzalcoatl won. The End.
Why did they fight? We don’t know. How did they fight? We don’t know. Where did they fight? We don’t know. But—we can speculate! And that’s exactly what this book will do. It will take history and mythology and add story through educated speculation.
Why did they fight? Quetzalcoatl was the God of Justice, and Tezcatlipoca was being mean to the Giants (Yes, the Aztec had Giants). How did they fight? Tezcatlipoca carried with him the Smoking Mirror, an Obsidian Mirror seething with Magic. Quetzalcoatl had the power of an ancient Primordial deity coursing through his veins. Where did they fight? In the 13 Heavens, where the gods called their homes.
Now, with context clues from mythology, we have a picture of two powerhouse gods fighting. A god of magic summoning forces of chaos to battle a gigantic feathered dragon-snake who breathes wind so powerful it obliterates whole forests. Two powerful forces fighting for the fate of the world, both believing they’re right, and with a cohesive narrative tying it all together. That’s what this book is, and what other books on Aztec mythology aren’t.
See, it’s one thing to tell history, but it’s another thing entirely to make history entertaining. Trust me, I was a substitute teacher for years, and most of the videos I made as a content creator were about history. History can be made entertaining, and that is what this book is about.
Aztec history, especially mythology, was passed down in fractured pieces. What little remains is filtered through colonial accounts, rewritten by friars, mistranslated by outsiders, and shaped by the trauma of conquest. For every surviving sentence, there are pages lost to fire, censorship, or forgetfulness. And while many modern historians seek to piece it back together, this book seeks something different: to breathe life back into those fragments.
And let’s be honest: most mythology books are either academic and dry, or so loose with the facts they barely qualify as mythology. This book lives in the space between—rigorous in research, but imaginative in spirit. These are myths retold through a storyteller’s lens, with every effort made to stay rooted in the surviving lore, while also building bridges where the records go silent.
Is the book historically accurate? Absolutely. It took me years and years and dozens of books and countless hours of research to compile the knowledge that fills this book. What’s more, as you will read in the history section, compiling the broken pieces of Aztec mythology wasn’t an easy feat; there’s so much contradiction and misinformation it becomes a maze with many paths leading to dead ends.
Now, does this book take several liberties when telling the history? Without a doubt—but otherwise, frankly, it would be boring. This book walks in the steps of other creative artworks that have done similar things: taking nonfiction history and presenting it in fictional fashion.
Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda retold American history (but with song).
1984 by George Orwell was inspired by the Soviet Union (but with animals).
Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin was inspired by the real-life War of the Roses and took several inspirations from history throughout the world.
These are all fictional stories inspired by, sometimes very closely, real history. Now, this book isn’t some grand fictional Aztec adventure, though one day I might write that. This story is taking history, adding flavor and excitement, and all in a way that does not steer too far from the historical facts.
This book is not about inventing a new mythology. It’s about honoring an old one. It’s a restoration project, a mythological mural made from surviving tiles and thoughtful reconstructions. This is mythology retold through storytelling what was once whispered in smoke and sung in temples, now brought to life again on the page. This is the story before the First Sun.
Part 1: The War
Aztec mythology gives us glimpses of gods, monsters, and cosmic cycles, but very little survives that explains how it all began. There is no surviving myth that tells us how the gods came to be, how the great Chaos was defeated, or what the world looked like before the First Sun. We know the destination but the journey remains unknown and unwritten. In Part 1, we will attempt to tell that missing story. It is not a replacement for Aztec mythology, but a respectful imagining of what could fill the space between fragments. This is a fictional retelling of the birth of the gods, the rise of the Earth, and the path that led to the First Sun.
Chapter 1: Duality
Before anything had a name, and before creation itself existed, there was Ometeotl (Oh-Meh-Tee-Oat). Ometeotl was not a god, but a Primordial. It had no free will, nor destiny in life. Ometeotl simply existed, and from it, all things were made. All things, in twos, always. Fire and water, life and death, war and peace. From this duality came the formation of the universe and everything within it.
From its heart beat cosmic change, and with each beat, more primordials were born. With one breath, Ometeotl sang a song of purpose and gave these purposes to each Primordial. Then it weaved from its body its blood and life, and gave duality to all things in the universe. Life, Purpose, Duality.
Life cannot be stopped once started, and so Ometeotl created more and more. It created more life, and more death, and more Primordials, and more chaos. Over and over it created, endlessly, without any notion of stopping.
The first echo of this heartbeat came with the Primordial of Magic. Magic was neither good nor evil, and it was powerful, yet fragile. The things Magic could do were numerous and awe-inspiring. Yet, the Magic could only go so far as where Ometeotl found themselves. To carry Magic across the cosmos, Ometeotl created the Primordial of Wind, and on this wind magic swept throughout the land. Hand in hand, heart with heart, Magic and Wind filled every corner of every section of every part of the Universe. The two Primordials danced across the black nothingness, filling the emptiness with sparks of life and hope.
Once magic was throughout the cosmos, the next to be created was the Primordial of Life, a being so pure and so beautiful, all worshipped and looked upon Life in awe. Yet, with all things living, Death must follow, and so the Primordial of Death came soon after. Death did not hate Life, nor did Life hate Death. They saw each other as necessary, and felt that Life was given meaning only because Death would one day follow. If all things lived forever, the joy of life would vanish.
Once Life and Death had formed, Conflict followed. The Primordial of Conflict created tension in the universe, between all things, for growth can only happen when adversity is placed forth. Yet, not all things grow this way, and certainly not all things grow under constant conflict, and so the Primordial of Peace balanced Conflict. Conflict was needed, of course, but all things in due time. Not everything grows overnight, nor can change happen when only...
