Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca in Bless Me, Ultima

"'Take the llano and the river valley, the moon and the sea, God and the golden carp-and make something new,' I said to myself" (Rudolpho Anaya, Bless Me, Ultima, 247.)

         Bless Me, Ultima, details Antonio's search for balance in his life. Living in a world of conflicting religious beliefs, family expectations, and the hopes of his mother and father, Antonio must reconcile the differences that confront him. Eventually, Antonio creates for himself a harmonious set of beliefs and balances the competing influences that make him who he is.

         For Antonio, the main source of internal conflict stems from his diverse heritage. His mother is of the Luna family--the people of the moon, religious farmers destined to homestead and till the land. Antonio's father is of the Marez clan--descendants of the sea, restless vaqueros who roam the llanos seeking adventure. These separate and opposing influences are effectively balanced by the end of the novel, much like the opposing mythical Aztec gods Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca.

           The god Quetzalcoatl is associated with priests, the acquisition of knowledge, and farming. In many ways, the equally powerful god, Tezcatlipoca, is seen as Quetzalcoatl’s counterpart. Tezcatlipoca is associated with the night winds, hurricanes, strife, and night. Constantly at odds, the rivalry between Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca, as they jointly rule, mirrors the conflict between the Lunas and the Marez described in the novel. Not only can clear associations be made between both Quetzalcoatl and the Lunas and Tezcatlipoca and the Marez family, but their competition over the ownership of the world is comparative to the developing rift between the Lunas and Marez over who will “govern” Antonio’s future. Additionally, myth dictates that Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl eventually decided to rule the world in a partnership, accepting shared responsibility. The return to balance that results in their universe matches the peace that Antonio experiences, as demonstrated in the above quote, when he is finally able to reconcile the conflicting powers within himself.