Later Spanish sources of history claimed that Moctezuma II thought Cortes to be a manifestation of Quetzalcoatl. Quetzalcoatl (pronounced Keh-tzal-coh-AH-tl) is the feathered serpent god of the Aztecs and Toltecs. This confederacy engaged in almost seventy-five years of nearly continuous conflict with the Aztec Empire of the Triple Alliance until the arrival of Corts. The major worship of this god as Quetzalcoatl began in 700 . This made crops grow and brought water for drinking. [12] Feathered-serpent iconography is prominent at all of these sites. What did Quetzalcoatl teach? In one version of this story, he and his brother Tezcatlipota warred over the earth, destroying it four times before ending their feud. (Many academics conclude this passage implies incest.) So it should be clear that Quetzalcoatl was, indeed, a great mythical figure. Have you ever eaten blue, white, black, or red corn? 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. [24], According to another version of the myth, Quetzalcoatl is one of the four sons of Ometecuhtli and Omecihuatl, the four Tezcatlipocas, each of whom presided over one of the four cardinal directions. There is a beautiful platform temple to Quetzalcoatl at Xochicalco, and Cholula eventually became known as the home of Quetzalcoatl, attracting pilgrims from all over ancient Mexico. Residing in the darkness felt safe to him, so he decided to stay far away from the life-giving water. Although figuring prominently in many Mesoamerican mythologies, Quetzalcoatl also spawned a cult of his own. The eclipse that was caused by the birth of Quetzalcoatl is believed to be the fifth eclipse to ever happen. Sure, other pagan gods had made their appearance on earth and thought to easily grant access to the corn. The Teotihuacan iconographical depictions are often interpreted as a version where Quetzalcoatl played the role of a fertility-related serpent deity. This didnt help a lot to overcome their cruel intentions, however. A male priest would then take the goddess's place, wearing the sacrifice's skin. Corts himself claimed in a letter that the gullibility of the Aztec people helped him to conquer them. Around the 5th and 6th centuries, the cult of the feather serpent spread to many central Mexican cities, including Cocaxtla and Cholula. Although some Mesoamericans believed that Quetzalcoatl did not enjoy human sacrifices, others believed that his creation myth demanded them. Quetzalcoatls twin, Xolotl, was a god associated with death. The widespread worship of Quetzalcoatl may have even played a factor in the belief that the natives of Mexico identified him with the Spanish conquistador Hernn Corts. [10], The earliest known documentation of the worship of a Feathered Serpent occurs in Teotihuacan in the first century BC or first century AD. In the post-classic Nahua civilization of central Mexico (Aztec), the worship of Quetzalcoatl was ubiquitous. At one hand, Mayans considered a snake as the embodiment of the cosmos. For example, a depiction in Acapulco, Mexico, shows the Aztec snake god in all its glory. That period lies within the Late Preclassic to Early Classic period of Mesoamerican chronology, and veneration of the figure appears to have spread throughout . Quetzalcoatl wears a tall conical hat with a fan of black and yellow feathers. Minster, Christopher. Quetzalcoatl, or Feathered Serpent, was an important god to the ancient people of Mesoamerica. Temple of Ehcatl-Quetzalcoatl. He is a former head writer at VIVA Travel Guides. This is evident in the iconography recovered from these sites. After months of rain, the snake was forced to come out of the cave. 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. Thats quite a big deal, because for the people in ancient Mexico, maize, or corn, is not just a crop. Or rather, arrived again. The relation of Quetzalcoatl with just the latest sun is a result of the mingling of his earliest myths and some new perceptions. Aztec God Quetzalcoatl According to Aztec mythology, Earth had been through four cycles of Sun, each of which resulted in the destruction of mankind. Profile [] Identity []. Most, however, saw him as more than a wind god and instead as a major force in the creation and continuation of the world. To both Teotihuacan and Maya cultures, Venus was in turn also symbolically connected with warfare.[21]. The Aztecs, however, were only a small segment of the regions people. The cult even spread down into the Maya lands. Quetzalcoatl was many things: (1) a historical personage - a great priest-king and religious reformer who lived in approximately the tenth century A.D. The two priests came to their position after living an exemplary life, with pure and compassionate hearts. 1. Although early images had shown a serpent, by the classical period of Aztec culture Quetzalcoatl was more often shown with a human body. He was worshiped among all the major cultures of the Mesoamerican region through history. In another legend, still told in Mexico, Quetzalcoatl was feeling ill. His brother Tezcatlipoca, who wanted to be rid of Quetzalcoatl, came up with a clever plan. Later, Xavier and the Aztecs summon Quetzalcoatl in his mortal form and wind up angering him after cutting him open. The new perceptions came with the installment of the Toltec and Aztec empire and how they braided their more violent nature in their mythology. Before he left, however, he promised to return. It is said that he is called the god of wind, spirit of rain, the god of culture, and the . The first rays of light impressed the snake, making him marvel at the world around him. Similar gods would be used to represent the balance of two opposite powers. Auh yn jquac molhuja eheca, mjtoa: teuhtli quaqualaca, ycoioca, tetecujca, tlatlaiooa, tlatlapitza, tlatlatzinj, motlatlaueltia. Most Mesoamerican beliefs included cycles of suns. The attributes of Quetzalcoatl varied in different cultures of Mesoamerica during different eras. In another, they worked together to tear apart a monster called Tlaltcuhtli and create the land and its features from her body. The name Quetzalcoatl comes from this language and is most widely-used both because it was recorded by Spanish conquerors and because Nahuatl is still spoken by roughly 1.5 million people. Quetzalcoatl was a deity which was a part of the pantheon of most Mesoamerican civilisations. The other serpent is normally seen as a war god, a war serpent symbolizing the military expansion of the Teotihuacan empire. Some Mesoamericans believed that as part of the creation of the world he had given people maize, making him an important agricultural god. [41] However, in 1892 one president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, John Taylor, wrote:[42]. Over time, Quetzalcoatl's appearance, clothing, malevolent nature, and status among the gods were reshaped to fit a more Christian framework. The first documented worship of Quetzalcoatl is found in Theotihuacan during the first century BC or first century AD. The Tlaxcalteca, along with other city-states across the Plain of Puebla, then supplied the auxiliary and logistical support for the conquests of Guatemala and West Mexico while Mixtec and Zapotec caciques (Colonial indigenous rulers) gained monopolies in the overland transport of Manila galleon trade through Mexico, and formed highly lucrative relationships with the Dominican order in the new Spanish imperial world economic system that explains so much of the enduring legacy of indigenous life-ways that characterize southern Mexico and explain the popularity of the Quetzalcoatl legends that continued through the colonial period to the present day. Hernn Corts, perhaps the most notorious colonizer, is often identified as this very reincarnation of Quetzalcoatl. Different versions of the birth of god are prevalent in Mesoamerican mythology. As shown by his spiral jewel, Quetzalcoatl was a god of wind. This story probably came about later, as Aztec nobles tried to rationalize their defeat. The earliest Aztec and classic Maya serpent iconography can be found in a six-tiered pyramid specifically dedicated to Quetzalcoatl. If this speech was actually given, its likely that ignorance of Aztec customs and Nahuatl speech patterns was to blame for giving the impression that Montezuma was willingly handing over power to a divine being. These, then, are the people that still inhabit the world. They therefore claimed that Quetzalcoatl was the Aztec name for Thomas the Apostle and that the naive natives believed that he, like Christ, would one day return to finish converting them to Christianity. In some versions of the ancient Mesoamerican histories, Quetzalcoatl was reborn as Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli after being burned on a funeral pyre. Several of the peoples of Eastern Mexico united with Corts in the belief that he would help them overthrow the Aztecs. Over the West presides the White Tezcatlipoca, Quetzalcoatl, the god of light, justice, mercy and wind. The Name Quetzalcoatl Despite their joint leadership, their rivalry didn't ended as Tezcatlipoca, feared by his worshipers . The earliest depictions of the feathered serpent deity were fully zoomorphic, depicting the serpent as an actual snake, but already among the Classic Maya, images of the deity began acquiring human features, such as the beard (see the Borgia codex illustration above) that he was sometimes depicted with. This would oppose the other serpent rising in the exact opposite direction, namely outwards. Similarly, various other birth stories are also associated with Quetzalcoatl. The worship of Quetzalcoatl sometimes included animal sacrifices, and in other traditions Quetzalcoatl was said to oppose human sacrifice.Mesoamerican priests and kings would sometimes take the name of a deity they were associated with, so Quetzalcoatl and Kukulcan are also the names of historical persons. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Others said that he had invented the calendar and books. Known as the Ehecailacozcatl, its swirling design represents the wind. The God Quetzalcoatl definitely has a link of some sort to this hero. Chichen Itza is famous for its Temple of Kukulcn, which was their name for Quetzalcoatl. Quetzalcoatl was associated with the wind-god Ehecatl and is often depicted with his insignia: a beak-like mask. With great respect and awe. The worlds largest pyramid, Tlachihualtepetl, was dedicated to Quetzalcoatl and was built up at the site over a period of a thousand years. [19] The most important center was Cholula, where the world's largest pyramid was dedicated to Quetzalcoatl-worship. According to stories, Aztec people only ate animals or roots until Quetzalcoatl arrived. A 2012 exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Dallas Museum of Art, "The Children of the Plumed Serpent: the Legacy of Quetzalcoatl in Ancient Mexico", demonstrated the existence of a powerful confederacy of Eastern Nahuas, Mixtecs and Zapotecs, along with the peoples they dominated throughout southern Mexico between 1200 and 1600 (Pohl, Fields, and Lyall 2012, Harvey 2012, Pohl 2003). Mesoamerican deities often functioned in duality. ThoughtCo, Aug. 28, 2020, thoughtco.com/facts-about-quetzalcoatl-2136322. While this legend is disputed, it is clear that Quetzalcoatl was an important deity to the Aztecs and other people of Mexico and Central America. By adding a bit of his own blood, he allowed a new civilization to emerge. 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/. Whether Quetzalcoatl would return was out of the question. The worship of Quetzalcoatl sometimes included animal sacrifices, and in other traditions Quetzalcoatl was said to oppose human sacrifice. The floods, too, caused great disaster to the earth in general. What is often called the Aztec Empire was a confederation of three city-states, established in the 14th and 15th centuries. In the post-classic Nahua civilization of central Mexico (Aztec), the worship of Quetzalcoatl was ubiquitous. Cult worship may have involved the ingestion of hallucinogenic mushrooms (psilocybes), considered sacred. Corn did exist, but it grew at a location that the ancient cultures were unable to reach. Remember, he has already been deemed a god. Xolotl was the sinister god of monstrosities who wears the spirally-twisted wind jewel and the ear ornaments of Quetzalcoatl. iPhone History: A Timeline of Every Model in Order 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. Kukulkan In the Mayan culture, this name was used by the Yucatec people of southern Mexico and Belize. Quetzalcoatl is closely associated with the myth of the four cardinal directions. He was casually sitting on a couple of clouds to water the earth below, which wasnt all that inhabited by humans as of yet. Quetzalcoatl was a jack of many trades, a truth also reflected in the stories surrounding his birth. Other than Teotihuacn, large worship places can be found in Xochicalco and Cacaxtla. Table of Contents [ hide] Etymology and Archaeology 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. He is a powerful and benevolent dragon-type entity associated with harvests, wild animals, the morning star ( Venus ), wind and rain. Of course, the odd one out sparked the interest of Tlaloc. 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. In his form as Ehecatl he is the wind, and is represented by spider monkeys, ducks, and the wind itself. In the codices, he was generally more human-like. In fact, the then-current king himself, Moteuhzoma II, prophesied the return of Quetzalcoatl as a white-bearded person even if it would mean that hed have to give up his place on the throne. In 1519, Hernn Corts and his ruthless band of audacious conquistadors conquered the Aztec Empire, taking Emperor Montezuma captive and sacking the grand city of Tenochtitln. To this day, new depictions of the creator deity can be found in Mexico. The worship of Quetzalcoatl sometimes included animal sacrifices, and in other traditions Quetzalcoatl was said to oppose human sacrifice. Venus, which the god was closely associated with, appeared in the sky at the beginning of the rainy season. Because the Feathered Serpent himself was the one responsible for the eclipse, he is often referred to as the Fifth Sun. While the inhabitants of Teotihuacan were the first ones to worship Quetzalcoatl, the Aztecs reinterpreted him over time. 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