Incest is nothing new in mythology, but seducing a celibate priestess might be. Quetzalcoatl stands out from the Mesoamerican pantheon as being relatively less bloodthirsty than others like Huitzilopochtli or Tezcatlipoca, making him as good a candidate as any for Jesus visiting the New World. Quetzalcoatl was the Aztec version of this plumed snake archetype. This idea of return stemmed from a supposed speech given by Montezuma, the Aztec ruler, to Corts when the Spanish arrived at Tenochtitlan. Well, look no further, because Quetzalcoatl is your guy. Getting the snake out of the cave had been Tlalocs only objective for months on end. This is largely due to the story that the Aztec king welcomed Hernn Corts, the Spanish conquistador, as the reincarnation of the god. Tlaloc blew the snake into the air, to a point where he was higher than the birds. Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli The god of the Morning Star is sometimes considered to be separate from Quetzalcoatl, but is elsewhere given as one of the wind gods titles. Aztec ceremonies often lasted several days . Others said that he had invented the calendar and books. [9] In Mazatec legends the astrologer deity Tlahuizcalpanteuctli, who is also represented by Venus, bears a close relationship with Quetzalcoatl. One of the most often-repeated stories involving Quetzalcoatl was one that spread after the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in Mexico. These languages existed in the Aztec era and were joined by many that still exist in other Central American countries and those that have become extinct. The worship of Quetzalcoatl became widespread with the rise of the Toltec civilization around 900 A.D. and spread throughout the region, even down to the Yucatan peninsula where it caught on with the Maya. Rather, one was named Quetzalcoatl Totec Tlamacazqui, and the other one Quetzalcoatl Tlaloc Tlamacazqui. How old is the United States of America? Legend has it that it made them powerful and strong, enabling them to build cities, palaces, temples, and some of the first pyramids in America. This didnt help a lot to overcome their cruel intentions, however. . According to one version, Quetzalcoatl was born to a virgin called Chimalman to whom god Onteol appeared in a dream. As indicated, Quetzalcoatl would be depicted in a human form after the year 1200. His body is usually black, a color that represents the north in Aztec art. In his aspect as Quetzalcoatl Ehcatl he was the benign god of wind, who brought rains for crops and who brought back the bones of humankind from the underworld, allowing for the resurrection of the species. Although early images had shown a serpent, by the classical period of Aztec culture Quetzalcoatl was more often shown with a human body. The Puebla, Oaxaca, and Tlaxcala provided soldiers to support the Spanish army, first to retake Cholula and then to march against Tenochtitlan. The Aztecs werent a big fan of chronological order and shook up the world of the gods. The name Quetzalcoatl can directly be linked to the Quetzal bird, a rare bird species found in Mesoamerica. Ruler of the, Nicholson 2001, Carrasco 1982, Gillespie 1989, Florescano 2002, Lafaye 1987, Townsend 2003, Martnez 1980, Phelan 1970. Throughout Mesoamerican culture, they practiced human sacrifice and ritual cannibalism to placate this god. 1. Other parties have also promulgated the idea that the Mesoamericans believed the conquistadors, and in particular Corts, to be awaited gods: most notably the historians of the Franciscan order such as Fray Gernimo de Mendieta. Chichen Itza is famous for its Temple of Kukulcn, which was their name for Quetzalcoatl. Quetzalcoatl stole the bones from the Underworld, taking great risks and evading many traps to bring them to the surface. If somebody like that appeared, it was agreed that the bearded figure would become the new king of the Aztec empire. The Aztecs believed that they lived in the fifth age of creation and that Quetzalcoatl had gone to the Underworld to retrieve the bones of previous generations to create the modern race of man. It was also the patron god of the Aztec priesthood. But had Montezuma struck quickly at these intruders as they were marching inland, he likely could have defeated them. Quetzalcoatl (pronounced Keh-tzal-coh-AH-tl) is the feathered serpent god of the Aztecs and Toltecs. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. [38] Some Franciscans at this time held millennarian beliefs[39] and some of them believed that Corts' coming to the New World ushered in the final era of evangelization before the coming of the millennium. Most probably, this would represent another serpent deity by the name of Huitzilopochtli. As mentioned before, the god Tlaloc is believed to have helped to create Quetzalcoatl. These were part of the Nahua culture, which included both these states and other independent ethnic groups in central Mexico. It starts with Tlaloc, the Aztec god of rain. Mason-Dixon Line Carrasco's work was revised in 2000, and the new edition provides a valuable overview of the controversy about Cortes and Quetzalcoatl. The Name Quetzalcoatl The first images of a similar feathered serpent date back to 900 BC, over two thousand years before the Aztecs came to dominate Central Mexico. READ MORE: 10 Gods of Death and the Underworld From Around the World. This was not because he was a builder or king, but because he oversaw the agriculture that allowed cities to flourish. Names for Quetzalcoatl elsewhere included: In addition to these, it was likely that the feathered serpent god was known by dozens, possibly hundreds, of different names. It was not just a populist idea that gained interest in Aztec society. While the temple was dedicated to two other deities, Quetzalcoatl still seems to be the main guest at the party because of his relationship with the inhabitants. However, independent historical sources do not substantiate this claim and later historians have disputed it as well. Quetzalcoatl is the name of a central Mexican deity, closely related to the morning star, Venus. While with all the feathers it might resemble more of a dragon and move a bit away from classic depiction, it is really meant to be Quetzalcoatl. Although little is known about the specific ways in which he was revered, some historians believe that the use of hallucinogenic mushrooms and other intoxicants may have played a large role. This made it an important sign of fertility because it brought with it the rains that renewed the earth. The Coatlicue sculpture in Mexico City's National Museum of Anthropology is one of the most famous Mexica (Aztec) sculptures in existence (her name is pronounced "koh-at-lee-kway"). Often our current time was considered the fifth sun,[29] the previous four having been destroyed by flood, fire and the like. The Spanish helped non-Aztec groups reclaim territory that included a massive pyramid dedicated to Quetzalcoatl. Cult worship may have involved the ingestion of hallucinogenic mushrooms (psilocybes), considered sacred. So Quetzalcoatl is named after the thing he looks like, a feathered serpent deity. 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/. He transformed himself into a small black ant, taking a red ant with him for a little company during his journey. Represented as the plumed serpent, Quetzalcoatl was also seen as manifest in the wind, one of the most powerful forces of nature; a text in the Nahuatl language captures this relationship: Quetzalcoatl; yn ehecatl ynteiacancauh yntlachpancauh in tlaloque, yn aoaque, yn qujqujiauhti. They kept the same gods but believed in a new story. The first culture to use the symbol of a feathered serpent as an important religious and political symbol was that of Teotihuacan. In one myth tied to this belief, the two killed a great monster and used its body to craft the world. By adding a bit of his own blood, he allowed a new civilization to emerge. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. At Cholula, however, the gods cult is most evident. It is believed that the Feathered Serpent was responsible for all of it. Of course, the odd one out sparked the interest of Tlaloc. Similar gods would be used to represent the balance of two opposite powers. His form of reincarnation, more specifically, would be that of a white person with a long beard. While not usually feathered, classic Maya serpent iconography seems[original research?] From ancient snake gods to Spanish legends, heres everything you need to know about the most famous god of the Aztecs! [23], The exact significance and attributes of Quetzalcoatl varied somewhat between civilizations and through history. It shows the first signs of a feathered serpent cult amongst ancient civilizations of the region. The major worship of this god as Quetzalcoatl began in 700 . After only a couple of years, the Aztec empire ended due to a combination of foreign diseases and diplomacy. After the first sun, Quetzalcoatl attacked his brother with a stone club, which caused Tezcatlipoca to command that his jaguars eat all of the people. Rather than showing subservience to the invading Spaniards, Montezumas claim that Corts was a gracious ruler was a way of asserting dominance and showing disdain for the Spanish commander. One of his most defining attributes, however, is his breastplate. And, it wasnt so bad after all. The Aztec confederacy was opposed by other Nahua groups to the east. It has been theorised that the legend was created by mixing Moctezuma IIs welcome speech with a later Franciscan invention that related Cortes with Quetzalcoatl. Quetzalcoatl was a jack of many trades, a truth also reflected in the stories surrounding his birth. After Topiltzin's exile, Toltec power began to decline. [45][46] The deity has been featured as a character in the manga and anime series Yu-Gi-Oh! Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/facts-about-quetzalcoatl-2136322. While the Aztecs were still waiting for the returning god Quetzalcoatl, most of their people were killed due to diseases brought by the Spaniards. Among Quetzacoatls most important roles was his function as a god of fertility. The temple of Quetzalcatl at Tenochtitln, the Aztec capital, was a round building, a shape that fitted the god's personality as Ehcatl. Since the sixteenth century, it has been widely held that the Aztec Emperor Moctezuma II initially believed the landing of Hernn Corts in 1519 to be Quetzalcoatl's return. Colonial documentary sources from the Maya area frequently speak of the arrival of foreigners from the central Mexican plateau, often led by a man whose name translates as "Feathered Serpent". A Walking Tour of the Maya Capital of Chichn Itz, The Chac Mool Sculptures of Ancient Mexico, Influence of the Olmec Civilization on Mesoamerica. In the Codex's description of the first meeting between Moctezuma and Corts, the Aztec ruler is described as giving a prepared speech in classical oratorial Nahuatl, a speech which, as described in the codex written by the Franciscan Bernardino de Sahagn and his Tlatelolcan informants, included such prostrate declarations of divine or near-divine admiration as: You have graciously come on earth, you have graciously approached your water, your high place of Mexico, you have come down to your mat, your throne, which I have briefly kept for you, I who used to keep it for you. Are you still looking for a being that caused a solar eclipse? The first documented worship of Quetzalcoatl is found in Theotihuacan during the first century BC or first century AD. A wide range of maize crops are still eaten to this date, both by the Mexicans that have adopted many of the European habits, and the remaining Indigenous peoples of central Mexico. 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