Yoga in Ancient and Modern Mexico

Anita Montero Campion is a Spiritual Teacher who is native to the Americas. Born in Mexico, she lives in the Santa Barbara area of California with her husband, poet/ playwright Toby Campion.  Anita leads educational journeys to Teotihuacan for adults and youth and is the founder of

CONSERVATION OF THE AMERICAN PYRAMIDS: a not-for-profit organization. The Campion’s maintain a sweat lodge in the Santa Barbara mountains.

Yoga in Ancient and Modern Mexico By Anita Montero Campion

Yoga is a vital science for the integral development of the human being.  The student of Yoga strives to attain an alignment of his physical, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects as an individual and to experience a more harmonious interaction with his environment.  At all times and in different parts of the world, the human being has always been searching for a philosophy that may change his life into one of greater understanding of his own nature and of his relationship with the world and others.  In this light, we could say that techniques very similar to yoga have been practiced all around the world whenever a civilization attains a certain stage of development.

In order to study what was happening in the area of Mesoamerica in this respect, we need to go back to 1000 AD, when several nomadic tribes of hunters traveled throughout the northern part of Mexico.  One of these tribes was asked by their god, Huitzilopochtli, to look for a place where they could establish themselves and start a new culture.  Their god had chosen them.  He also gave them a sign for them to know where to settle: they were to find a lagoon, in the middle of which there should be an island with a cactus growing there.  On top of the cactus there had to be an eagle devouring a serpent.

Their search lasted almost 200 years, and around 1325, they finally arrived at a high plateau surrounded by high and beautiful mountains; two of them are now known as Popocatepetl and Ixtaccihuatl.  Their priest and Guide pointed towards the sign they had been looking for so eagerly: the lagoon, the cactus, and the eagle devouring a serpent.  This symbol is still kept today on the Mexican flag, and it symbolizes TRANSFORMATION.  The serpent represents “lower nature, instinctive stages” while the eagle represents the Higher mind conquering, “devouring” the basic energies and capable of flying towards higher regions instead of crawling

This was the beginning of a city of Canals built on the lagoon and called Tenochtitlan. The Aztecs were warriors who quickly conquered their neighboring tribes, creating a whole new empire. They received tributes of vegetables, fruits, feathers, coca, woven materials, etc.  Their open markets attracted 45,000 at a time, encouraging commercial transactions which created for them a very stable foundation.  Their main plaza consisted of beautifully decorated temples.  Once their material needs were taken care of, they declared themselves descendants of the Nalwas, a very old culture which appeared at approximately 600 B.C.  The aristocracy of the Nalwas were called TOLTECS, meaning “masters of craftsmanship”. Their founder was QUETZALCOATL, who became their king and taught them agriculture, arts, science and religion; thus they became magnificent architects, carpenters, masons, feather craftsmen, potters, weavers and spinners.  They studied the movements of the stars and developed the science of astrology…

Another important facet of the myth is related to Quetzalcoatl as the creator of the human being.  Studying Nahuatl philosophy, one learns that they thought there had been 4 preceding Suns before the arrival of Quetzalcoatl, each one attempting the creation of mankind: the first Sun was an Earth one; the second Sun was an Air one; the third Sun was a Fire one and the fourth Sun was a Water one.

Quetzalcoatl brought with him the fifth Sun, Movement, represented in the Aztec calendar by a human face. For the first time, he teaches individuals about their spiritual essence. In ancient zodiacs, this is symbolized by a man holding a flowering branch…

The Spiritualization of Matter, a complete process of transformation—YOGA, union, identification .The Sun of  Movement represents the inner conflict fought for the growth of consciousness. Matter is represented by the serpent which lives in dark holes underground but can also grow wings and fly towards the highest realms of spiritual realization.  The teachings of Quetzalcoatl have been kept in many symbols, for example, the conch shell, which is a 5-pointed star representing a Perfect Individual, the 5^th Sun, the Fifth kingdom of  Nature, the Son of Man.  Another one is the Cross of Quetzalcoatl.  The four arms are the 4 Suns and the fifth is the center dot—Movement, the quintessence; movement from one state to another through the practice of Yoga.  It is also the heart of multiplicity which is to be mastered through Knowledge…

Historically speaking, Quetzalcoatl was born at the beginning of the Christian Era into an aristocratic family near Tepotzlan, Morelos, Mexico.  His empire extended from the northern parts of Mexico down to Central America, and this is why the plumed serpent is found everywhere among Mayas, Zapotecs, Aztecs and Toltecs.  He was an INITIATE who transmitted the Spiritual Tradition to his people.  His priest –disciples took his name as soon as they reached the higher degree of development.  He established schools called Calmecacs where he trained the students in the art of spiritual unfoldment through techniques which included physical exercises, study of natural philosophy, fasting and service to others. The school was located in the Temple of Quetzalcoatl in the city of Teotihuacan, built by the Toltecs exclusively as a ceremonial city.  Only priests and their students lived in this spiritual university, while people of all ranks lived in Tenochtitlan.

This city of the Gods was built according to specific orientations.There were two levels, the Heavens and the Earth.  The pyramids of the Sun and Moon were on the level of the Heavens and separated by the Road of the Dead.  Beneath it was the Temple of Quetzalcoatl.

In the area of the Heavens, all buildings extend vertically, while on the level of the Earth, all buildings extend horizontally.

Priests and students lived in the Temple of Quetzalcoatl. They underwent methods of purification, detachment and humility until they reached a certain level where they were asked to walk on the road of the Dead and then approach the Pyramid of the Sun, 66 meters  high, where they received the Higher Initiation. As part of their training they also studied and perhaps reenacted the Myth of Quetzalcoatl in a similar way as were the Egyptian Mysteries.  While history reveals to us the physical development of the human being, myth reveals to us the psychological progress of consciousness….

Here is the Myth of Quetzalcoatl:

“Quetzalcoatl was born of a virgin who swallowed a precious stone.  He was a twin and he is the creator of human beings.  With the aid of a coyote, an eagle and a wolf, he became an ant and rescued bones of the dead in the underworld to create men, and he also brought back a kernel of corn, so dear to all pre-Columbian civilizations.  He created art, science and religion.  Tezcatlipoca, his enemy, tempts him by offering him a drink of

Pulque.  He drinks and has sex. He is also given an obsidian mirror to watch himself in this deplorable state, and feels so ashamed of himself that he decides to flee to the eastern coast of Mexico.  He burns himself up on the beach and his heart rises to the sky and becomes the planet Venus.  He promises to return.”

This Myth is intimately related to the movement of Venus:

Venus is visible as a morning star for 236 days;

It is occult, moving from east to west for 90 days;

it is visible as an evening star for 250 days

and is occult moving from west to east for 8 days.