In Mesoamerican history, many different ethnopolitical groups worshiped a feathered-serpent deity. Cortes continued to play the role of Quetzalcoatl for many years and eventually impacted others to convert. At the end of the fourth cycle, when mankind had perished again according to the mythology, Quetzalcoatl created a new people with his blood. What is often called the Aztec Empire was a confederation of three city-states, established in the 14th and 15th centuries. Mexico's flagship airline Aeromxico has a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner painted in a special Quetzalcoatl livery. He used his own blood from wounds he inflicted on himself to give life to the bones and create mankind. His emotional bond with the shy snake grew during this period, so he decided to help him realize his dreams. With great respect and awe. [20] Historian Enrique Florescano - also analyzing Teotihuacan iconography - argues that the Feathered Serpent was part of a triad of agricultural deities: The feathered serpent was furthermore connected to the planet Venus because of this planet's importance as a sign of the beginning of the rainy season. What did Quetzalcoatl teach? To link to this article in the text of an online publication, please use this URL: https://historycooperative.org/quetzalcoatl/. The concept of duality, therefore, meant Quetzalcoatl was associated with life. According to the Book of Mormon, the resurrected Jesus Christ descended from heaven and visited the people of the American continent, shortly after his resurrection. Ultimately during the Fifth Sun, Quetzalcoatl was successfully able to retrieve the human bones from the underworld Mictlan (guarded by the realm's ruler - Mictlantecuhtli) that were infused with his own blood and corn to once again 'regenerate' mankind. They inhabited the top of the Great Pyramid dedicated to Huitzilopochtli and Tlaloc. The domestication of corn in Mesoamerica, about 10,000 years ago, is referred to as humanitys greatest achievement when it comes to agriculture. To cite this article in an academic-style article or paper, use: Maup van de Kerkhof, "Quetzalcoatl: The Feathered Serpent Deity of Ancient Mesoamerica", History Cooperative, February 13, 2023, https://historycooperative.org/quetzalcoatl/. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Rather than the conquistador himself being the wind god, however, it was that his army allowed the Puebla and their allies to reclaim the pyramid of Tlachihualtepetl, the center of Quezalcoatls cult. Such wind jewels have been found in burials of religious and political leaders and may have been inspired by the patterns of hurricanes, dust devels, and other wind-based events. In an example from Yaxchilan, the Vision Serpent has the human face of the young maize-god, further suggesting a connection to fertility and vegetational renewal; the Maya Young Maize god was also connected to Venus. Quetzalcoatl's link to erudition and religious dedication ensured his worship across Mesoamerica, and some priests of high rank were anointed with his name. He also has red and green feathers around his head and back. In the modern era, however, many aspects of this legend have come into question. The relation of Quetzalcoatl with just the latest sun is a result of the mingling of his earliest myths and some new perceptions. At temples such as the aptly named "Quetzalcoatl temple" in the Ciudadela complex, feathered serpents figure prominently and alternate with a different kind of serpent head. How should one worship the sun? Later, Xavier and the Aztecs summon Quetzalcoatl in his mortal form and wind up angering him after cutting him open. Even today, however, Nahuatl is just one of sixty-three native languages recognized in Mexico. Quetzalcoatl played many roles in ancient Aztec mythology, so its difficult to pin down just one. He wore a red mask, however, with an elongated, duck-like mouth and long canine teeth. In some stories he created mankind, and in others he worked with his brother to form the earth itself. In the Aztec ritual calendar, different deities were associated with the cycle-of-year names: Quetzalcoatl was tied to the year Ce Acatl (One Reed), which correlates to the year 1519. The story of how the ordinary Quetzalcoatl became one of the heavenly brothers goes as followed. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. [19] The most important center was Cholula, where the world's largest pyramid was dedicated to Quetzalcoatl-worship. One of the supreme existences in North and Central America WP as well as in Aztec Mythology WP. Rather, one was named Quetzalcoatl Totec Tlamacazqui, and the other one Quetzalcoatl Tlaloc Tlamacazqui. Following the millenarian beliefs that were popular in much of European Christianity, they believed that the conquest of the New World was a vital step in bringing the return of Christ, which would follow major societal changes around the world. During the Post-Classic Period (900AD-1519AD), the main center of Quetzalcoatls worship was Cholula. Have you ever eaten blue, white, black, or red corn? After a slapstick-style chase scene, Xavier winds up as the Sun God and commits "sacricide" (sacrificial suicide), ending the skit. [citation needed], In the Codex Chimalpopoca, it is said Quetzalcoatl was coerced by Tezcatlipoca into becoming drunk on pulque, cavorting with his older sister, Quetzalpetlatl, a celibate priestess, and neglecting their religious duties. On the basis of the Teotihuacan iconographical depictions of the feathered serpent, archaeologist Karl Taube has argued that the feathered serpent was a symbol of fertility and of internal political structures - contrasting with the War Serpent symbolizing the outwards military expansion of the Teotihuacan empire. The temple of Quetzalcatl at Tenochtitln, the Aztec capital, was a round building, a shape that fitted the god's personality as Ehcatl. The worlds largest pyramid, Tlachihualtepetl, was dedicated to Quetzalcoatl and was built up at the site over a period of a thousand years. Christopher Minster, Ph.D., is a professor at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito in Ecuador. [13] Furthermore, early Spanish sources written by clerics tend to identify the god-ruler Quetzalcoatl of these narratives with either Hernn Corts or Thomas the Apostleidentifications which have also become sources of a diversity of opinions about the nature of Quetzalcoatl. Quetzalcoatl had aspects in which he functioned as other gods. In a version of the myth, Quetzalcoatl was born by a virgin named Chimalman, to whom the god Ometeotl appeared in a dream. Different cultures associated him with priesthood and kingship, further complicating his mythology in later retellings. Often he is also represented as spider monkeys, ducks, and other animals or beings of nature. Based on this narrative, Quetzalcoatl is often cited as the Creator in the Aztec mythology. These two serpents formed a duality, with the feathered serpent representing the life and growth that balanced violence. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Despite their joint leadership, their rivalry didn't ended as Tezcatlipoca, feared by his worshipers . I am the owner and chief researcher at this site. This view has been questioned by ethno-historians who argue that the Quetzalcoatl-Corts connection is not found in any document that was created independently of post-Conquest Spanish influence, and that there is little proof of a pre-Hispanic belief in Quetzalcoatl's return. Quetzalcoatl appears in many ancient Mesoamerican codices, sculptures and reliefs. Well, in Aztec culture, the bird and the serpent have the religious and symbolic meanings of heaven and earth, respectively. The colonization of Mesoamerica, or rather Abya Yala, has severely impacted the area where Quetzalcoatl was worshiped. Because the feathered serpent was such a widespread and long-lasting archetype, he was known by many names throughout Mexico and Central America. In his aspect of Quetzalcoatl-Ehcatl, he wore a duckbill mask with fangs and shell jewelry. Spanish writers of the 16th century claimed that Hernn Corts was hailed as the reincarnation of Quetzalcoatl when he arrived in Mexico in 1519. On the other hand, the snake was considered a vital instrument to help bring visions from the underworld to the Mayan kings. You have graciously arrived, you have known pain, you have known weariness, now come on earth, take your rest, enter into your palace, rest your limbs; may our lords come on earth. [10], The earliest known documentation of the worship of a Feathered Serpent occurs in Teotihuacan in the first century BC or first century AD. Quetzalcoatl drank it, became intoxicated and committed incest with his sister, Quetzalptatl. Hernn Corts, perhaps the most notorious colonizer, is often identified as this very reincarnation of Quetzalcoatl. Similarly, various other birth stories are also associated with Quetzalcoatl. Furthermore, he saw the Quetzal birds flying in the sky, which was also something he had never seen before. They maintained a major pilgrimage and commercial center at Cholula, Puebla which the Spaniards compared to both Rome and Mecca because the cult of the god united its constituents through a field of common social, political, and religious values without dominating them militarily. After the eclipse of the fourth sun, Quetzalcoatl would go on a trip to the underworld. Quetzalcoatl was also associated with Venus, the Morning Star, and thus the dawn. According to this myth, the four sons of Ometecuhtli and Omecihuatl, one of them being Quetzalcoatl, represent the four cardinal directions. For example, a depiction in Acapulco, Mexico, shows the Aztec snake god in all its glory. Aztec ceremonies often lasted several days . Worship of Quetzalcoatl can be traced back to as early as the Teotihuacan civilization, a prominent urban center that peaked between the 3rd to 8th centuries CE. Quetzalcoatl has been worshiped by all the major Mesoamerican cultures including the Mayans and the Aztecs. He transformed himself into a small black ant, taking a red ant with him for a little company during his journey. Quetzalcoatl is a Mesoamerican deity whose name comes from the Nahuatl language and means "feathered serpent". The Origin of Hotdogs, The History of Boracay Island in The Philippines. The gods powers extended beyond the wind, however. Quetzalcoatlhe was the wind, the guide and road sweeper of the rain gods, of the masters of the water, of those who brought rain. Quetzalcoatl is not a religious symbol in the Latter-day Saint faith, and is not taught as such, nor is it in their doctrine that Quetzalcoatl is Jesus. In the extant Mayan sources, it has been revealed that Quetzalcoatl, or the Feathered Serpent, was associated with warfare as well as fertility. Known as the Ehecailacozcatl, its swirling design represents the wind. Some scholarship maintains the view that the Aztec Empire's fall may be attributed in part to the belief in Corts as the returning Quetzalcoatl, notably in works by David Carrasco (1982), H. B. Nicholson (2001 (1957)) and John Pohl (2016). related to the belief in a sky-, Venus-, creator-, war- and fertility-related serpent deity. Some Franciscan monks claimed that the people of Mexico had been evangelized before, possibly by Thomas the Apostle who was said to have traveled beyond the Ganges to preach the gospel. 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The worship of Quetzalcoatl sometimes included animal sacrifices, and in colonial traditions Quetzalcoatl was said to oppose human sacrifice. After Topiltzin's exile, Toltec power began to decline. In the iconography of the classic period, Maya serpent imagery is also prevalent: a snake often appears as the embodiment of the sky itself, and a vision serpent is a shamanic helper presenting Maya kings with visions of the underworld. One of these groups centered around the city of Cholula, where the great pyramid was dedicated to Quetzalcoatl. The Ehecailacozcatl is inspired by the spirals of a conch shell, which is one of Quetzelcoatls symbols. Quetzalcoatl is a Mesoamerican god whose name literally means feathered serpent. Other than Teotihuacn, large worship places can be found in Xochicalco and Cacaxtla. Quetzalcoatlhe was the wind, the guide and road sweeper of the rain gods, of the masters of the water, of those who brought rain. 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