Throughout the novel "Bless Me, Ultima," author Rudolfo Anaya, constantly mentions religion, as the main character Antonio battles for the truth in life. Antonio only possesses knowledge on Catholicism and the virtues of Christ until his age of innocence begins to come to an end. When he begins to see the truths in life he sees that so many people believe in other religions and other gods, especially his friends. Two friends in particular expose a completely new religion to Antonio and tell him of a mighty golden carp who holds the power of a god. Whether or not the mystical tales of Cico and Samuel have truth in them, they have an impact on Antonio's religious life, and may have set in motion a change in his beliefs in the golden carp, Ultima, and Catholicism.
The origin of the golden carp seems as mysterious as the tale itself. According to Samuel the legend began long ago during the beginning of creation. He believes that the carp once lived as humans, and when they upset their gods, the gods planned to kill them. Fortunately, one god who loved the people, decided against it, and instead, the gods transformed the people into carp. The powerful god sacrificed his godly form to live among his people, and protect them. Samuel believes that the god still dwells in the river in the form of a golden carp, and that it still holds godly power. For that reason, Samuel possesses strong faith toward the carp, and attempts to convince Antonio that this god deserves praise and respect. To fully convince him, he tells Cico to take him to see the golden carp in his secret location. After a long wait, Antonio finally embarks on a journey with Cico to see the godly carp himself. Once he arrives at the mysterious pool of water, he sees the majestic golden carp as well as the dark and ominous black bass which battles the carp for control of the river. While there, Cico tries to kill the bass in an attempt to free the carp of its evil, but fails.
