But even things of an extremely mundane nature like s. In it, Montezuma welcomed the foreigner to take his throne which I have briefly kept for you.. The relation of Quetzalcoatl with just the latest sun is a result of the mingling of his earliest myths and some new perceptions. But the history of the former has been handed down to us through an impure Lamanitish source, which has sadly disfigured and perverted the original incidents and teachings of the Savior's life and ministry. [22] A third story narrates that Chimalman was hit in the womb by an arrow shot by Mixcoatl and nine months later she gave birth to a child which was called Quetzalcoatl. https://www.thoughtco.com/facts-about-quetzalcoatl-2136322 (accessed March 2, 2023). Quetzalcoatl became linked with the maize crop thanks to ancient legends. Venus, which the god was closely associated with, appeared in the sky at the beginning of the rainy season. Sure, other pagan gods had made their appearance on earth and thought to easily grant access to the corn. The legend of Quetzalcoatl is spoofed in the Adult Swim CGI series Xavier: Renegade Angel. He was also associated with the creation of mankind, so he also possibly occupied the role of creator in the Aztec mythology. Quetzalcoatl is but one of the Aztec gods and goddesses that has animal-like characteristics. Having been in awe of the sun and its light, the snake decided to fly toward the sun. He is a former head writer at VIVA Travel Guides. In the episode "Damnesia You," Xavier winds up in the Aztec world and is immediately (and unsuccessfully) sacrificed for insulting the Sun God, and during the sacrifice the Aztecs humorously fail to pronounce his name. [37] This speech, which has been widely referred to, has been a factor in the widespread belief that Moctezuma was addressing Corts as the returning god Quetzalcoatl. Some legends describe him as opposed to human sacrifice[26] while others describe him practicing it.[27][28]. 3. Did the Incas worship Quetzalcoatl? He sometimes carries flowers or sacrificial tools. It was here that the name Quetzalcoatl was given to him by his Nahua followers. [40] However, a majority of Mesoamericanist scholars, such as Matthew Restall (2003, 2018[37]), James Lockhart (1994), Susan D. Gillespie (1989), Camilla Townsend (2003a, 2003b), Louise Burkhart, Michel Graulich and Michael E. Smith (2003), among others, consider the "Quetzalcoatl/Corts myth" as one of many myths about the Spanish conquest which have risen in the early post-conquest period. According to Aztec mythology, Earth had been through four cycles of Sun, each of which resulted in the destruction of mankind. According to stories, Aztec people only ate animals or roots until Quetzalcoatl arrived. He was a god of wind, culture, knowledge, and creation. The worship of Quetzalcoatl sometimes included animal sacrifices, and in other traditions Quetzalcoatl was said to oppose human sacrifice. ; (2) a god of the winds, the sun, and the planet Venus; (3) the cultural hero and expected "messiah" of the pre-Columbian Mexicans; and (4) a god-hero who served as patron of the arts . Xochiquetzal and the Moon From ancient snake gods to Spanish legends, heres everything you need to know about the most famous god of the Aztecs! Looking at the iconography and retold myths of Mesoamerica, some historians have theories that Quetzalcoatl came to be associated with culture and urban civilization. Quetzalcoatl is closely associated with the myth of the four cardinal directions. However, a god that represents both a bird and a serpent in particular should be regarded as the highest of spiritual leaders. 5D's, Beyblade: Metal Fusion, Fate/Grand Order - Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia and Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid (the latter two depicting Quetzalcoatl as a female dragon deity); the Megami Tensei video game franchise; the video games Fate/Grand Order, Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy XV, Sanitarium, Smite (as an alternate costume for his Mayan counterpart, Kukulkan), and Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine; as the main antagonist in the Star Trek: The Animated Series episode "How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth"; and in The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel books. ", "Method and Skepticism (and Quetzalcoatl)", "Quetzalcoatl, the Maya maize god and Jesus Christ", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Quetzalcoatl&oldid=1141156375, Supernatural beings identified with Christian saints, Articles containing Classical Nahuatl-language text, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles having different image on Wikidata and Wikipedia, Wikipedia articles needing factual verification from August 2019, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2019, Wikipedia articles needing factual verification from June 2021, All articles that may contain original research, Articles that may contain original research from June 2021, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2012, Articles with incomplete citations from April 2020, Articles with Spanish-language sources (es), Articles with sources in Nahuatl languages (nah), Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, White Tecatlipoca, Ce Acatl Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl, Feathered Serpent, Precious Twin, Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, Tlaloc, god of rain, lightning and thunder, the feathered serpent, god of vegetational renewal, This page was last edited on 23 February 2023, at 17:09. 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. 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. But still, how could that ever be the case? Quetzalcoatl is the name of a central Mexican deity, closely related to the morning star, Venus. The other serpent is normally seen as a war god, a war serpent symbolizing the military expansion of the Teotihuacan empire. (2020, August 28). All good eclipses must come to an end, and this happened when the snake evolved into a Feathered Serpent and flew out of the sun again. 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. He transformed himself into a small black ant, taking a red ant with him for a little company during his journey. The History of Guns, Greek Mythology: Stories, Characters, Gods, and Culture, Aztec Mythology: Important Stories and Characters, Greek Gods and Goddesses: Family Tree and Fun Facts, Roman Gods and Goddesses: The Names and Stories of 29 Ancient Roman Gods, How Quetzalcoatl Created and Sustained Humans, How Quetzalcoatl Became Part of the Tezcatlipocas, Aztec and Maya Serpent Imagery of Quetzalcoatl, Water Gods and Sea Gods From Around the World, Sun Gods: Ancient Solar Deities From Around the World, 10 Gods of Death and the Underworld From Around the World, Herne the Hunter: Spirit of Windsor Forest, Sif: The Golden-Haired Goddess of the Norse, iPhone History: A Timeline of Every Model in Order, US History Timeline: The Dates of Americas Journey, Ancient Civilizations Timeline: 16 Oldest Known Cultures From Around The World, Why Are Hot Dogs Called Hot Dogs? Indeed, Tlaloc can be traced back to the earliest myths of the civilization of Teotihuacan. Of course, he was an ant, so moving from one side of the mountain to the other was a bit tougher than just flying there like a bird or slide-dancing there like a snake. 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. Quetzalcoatl became, in fact, the very title of the most important priests: the twin Aztec High Priests. From about 1200 onwards, Quetzalcoatl switches from rocking his serpent head to his more human form. The two priests came to their position after living an exemplary life, with pure and compassionate hearts. In the extant Mayan sources, it has been revealed that Quetzalcoatl, or the Feathered Serpent, was associated with warfare as well as fertility. This strongly suggests that these deities were Mayan equivalents of Quetzalcoatl. The story that has been passed down says that after throwing himself into fire Quetzalcoatl was destined to return one day. Mesoamerican deities often functioned in duality. Quetzalcoatl wasnt all that happy with it, however. In the Maya area he was approximately equivalent to Kukulkan and Gukumatz, names that also roughly translate as "feathered serpent" in different Mayan languages. In Aztec culture, this was considered to be one of the most important primal forces. After the eclipse of the fourth sun, Quetzalcoatl would go on a trip to the underworld. How old is the United States of America? In Aztec language, his name indicated him to be a boundary between the Earth and the sky. Over the East presides the Red Tezcatlipoca, Xipe Totec, the god of gold, farming and springtime. The first documented worship of Quetzalcoatl is found in Theotihuacan during the first century BC or first century AD.if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'aztecsandtenochtitlan_com-box-4','ezslot_7',140,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-aztecsandtenochtitlan_com-box-4-0'); This constitutes the Late Pre-Classic Period of the Mayan civilization.if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'aztecsandtenochtitlan_com-large-leaderboard-2','ezslot_9',111,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-aztecsandtenochtitlan_com-large-leaderboard-2-0'); By the Late Classic Period (600AD-900AD), it appears that the worship of Quetzalcoatl had spread throughout the Mesoamerican region. One of the jewels he is depicted with is the wind jewel, affirming his status as a wind god. Well, not all of them, but some do. In Mesoamerican history, many different ethnopolitical groups worshiped a feathered-serpent deity. The famous Pyramid of the Niches at El Tajin is believed by many to be dedicated to Quetzalcoatl, and the many ball courts there also suggest that his cult was important. Are you still looking for a being that caused a solar eclipse? In fact, it is a deep cultural symbol that is intrinsic to daily life. They inhabited the top of the Great Pyramid dedicated to Huitzilopochtli and Tlaloc. Quetzalcoatls quarrels with his brother Tezcatlipoca sometimes brought about these destructions of the world. He was quite a bit bigger than he was before. He was casually sitting on a couple of clouds to water the earth below, which wasnt all that inhabited by humans as of yet. The Name Quetzalcoatl 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. Quetzalcoatl was so closely linked to fertility and creation that many groups held him to be the creator of mankind. The Church of Latter Day Saints, better known as the Mormons, teaches that Jesus Christ walked the Earth after his resurrection, spreading the word of Christianity to all corners of the globe. Quetzalcoatl, or Feathered Serpent, was an important god to the ancient people of Mesoamerica. Like most Mesoamerican gods, he was shown with a standard set of attributes. Chichen Itza is famous for its Temple of Kukulcn, which was their name for Quetzalcoatl. His form of reincarnation, more specifically, would be that of a white person with a long beard. 2. So Quetzalcoatl is named after the thing he looks like, a feathered serpent deity. Quetzalcoatl played many roles in ancient Aztec mythology, so its difficult to pin down just one. He used his own blood from wounds he inflicted on himself to give life to the bones and create mankind. The feathered serpent was a deity who was widely worshiped and persisted for a long period of time. To this day, new depictions of the creator deity can be found in Mexico. In a version of the myth, Quetzalcoatl was born by a virgin named Chimalman, to whom the god Ometeotl appeared in a dream. Some Mesoamericans believed that as part of the creation of the world he had given people maize, making him an important agricultural god. Human worship. Today he is known best as Quetzalcoatl, the name he was worshipped by in the Aztec culture. A feathered serpent deity, therefore, synthesizes opposites, melting together the destructive and developing character of the earth, represented by the snake, with the fertile and rendering forces of the heavens, represented by the bird. 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. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. Manage Settings The story of the life of the Mexican divinity, Quetzalcoatl, closely resembles that of the Savior; so closely, indeed, that we can come to no other conclusion than that Quetzalcoatl and Christ are the same being. Historians debate to what degree, or whether at all, these narratives about this legendary Toltec ruler describe historical events. He was a creator deity having contributed essentially to the creation of mankind. [18][need quotation to verify]. Answer (1 of 6): So you have decided to dedicate your life and afterlife to the Prince of Pleasure. Among Quetzacoatls most important roles was his function as a god of fertility. Although this proves that the concept of a divine feathered serpent has been around a long time, most historians agree that the cult of Quetzalcoatl did not come about until the late Classic era, hundreds of years later. Of these, Quetzalcoatl was the Sun in the second cycle. However, each and every god had failed terribly in doing so. Known as the Ehecailacozcatl, its swirling design represents the wind. 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. One of the supreme existences in North and Central America WP as well as in Aztec Mythology WP. Standing over ten feet tall, the statue towers over onlookers as she leans toward them. [43] In a 1986 paper for Sunstone, he noted that during the Spanish Conquest, the Native Americans and the Catholic priests who sympathized with them felt pressure to link Native American beliefs with Christianity, thus making the Native Americans seem more human and less savage. Indeed, the same as the one from the Great Pyramid. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. And over the North presides the Black Tezcatlipoca, known by no other name than Tezcatlipoca, the god of judgment, night, deceit, sorcery and the Earth. Residing in the darkness felt safe to him, so he decided to stay far away from the life-giving water. Profile [] Identity []. Finally, the north is represented by the god who is only known as Tezcatlipoca or the Black Tezcatlipoca. This is what you have to look forward to- Initially, you will notice that you can find pleasure in new and sometimes bizarre places. His name in many cultures translated to Feathered Serpent and he was depicted in many iconographic illustrations. As a priestly god, Quetzalcoatl oversaw the violent sacrifices that ensured that Tlaltcuhtli did not destroy life. As the morning star, he was known by the title Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, meaning "lord of the star of the dawn". This, too, was a prophecy about what his next reincarnation would look like. The trip was far from easy, but Quetzalcoatl was able to complete it. Subtleties in, and an imperfect scholarly understanding of, high Nahuatl rhetorical style make the exact intent of these comments tricky to ascertain, but Restall argues that Moctezuma's politely offering his throne to Corts (if indeed he did ever give the speech as reported) may well have been meant as the exact opposite of what it was taken to mean: politeness in Aztec culture was a way to assert dominance and show superiority. Cortes continued to play the role of Quetzalcoatl for many years and eventually impacted others to convert. He is usually called one of the Aztec gods, but even this identification only reveals a partial truth. [12] Feathered-serpent iconography is prominent at all of these sites. 1. Some said that before this he had helped to create the world itself. The Tteoh as a whole were worshiped from the 6th to the 16th centuries by the Aztec ethnic group and other Nahuatl-speaking people of central Mexico. Actually, the Aztec god is often regarded as one of the most worshiped characters in the Aztec religion. Quetzalcoatl appears in many ancient Mesoamerican codices, sculptures and reliefs. 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. Throughout Mesoamerican culture, they practiced human sacrifice and ritual cannibalism to placate this god. However, independent historical sources do not substantiate this claim and later historians have disputed it as well. Quetzalcoatl was the Aztec version of this plumed snake archetype. Whether Quetzalcoatl would return was out of the question. In fact, the people of Mexico had killed several Spaniards in battle and had captured and sacrificed others, so they knew they were men, not gods. There are three different ways you can cite this article. According to this myth, the four sons of Ometecuhtli and Omecihuatl, one of them being Quetzalcoatl, represent the four cardinal directions. 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. . iPhone History: A Timeline of Every Model in Order While the other snakes told him he would never be able to do so, the rain god Tlaloc had other plans. Where once feathered snakes were worshiped all over, after the Spanish conquest the locals were forced into worshiping Jesus Christ. The earliest Aztec and classic Maya serpent iconography can be found in a six-tiered pyramid specifically dedicated to Quetzalcoatl. READ MORE: Water Gods and Sea Gods From Around the World. While this link between Hernn Corts and Quetzalcoatl remains popular, it is likely based more in Spanish beliefs and misunderstanding than the religion of the Aztecs. Mictlanteuctli and Mictlancihuatl, the two gods that ruled that realm, gave him a puzzle he was expected to complete before he could take the bones. The Toltec people, who the Aztecs considered to be their ancestors, used Quetzalcoatl as a title for military and political rulers. READ MORE: Sun Gods: Ancient Solar Deities From Around the World. The meaning of his name is "Winged Serpent" or "Feathered Serpent". If your web page requires an HTML link, please insert this code: . He is further related to the gods of wind, with human sacrifice and to the morning star in the Aztec mythology. This is also evident in the duality of serpent figures throughout Mesopotamian history. There is no surviving account of this myth in native sources, 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. During the epi-classic period, a dramatic spread of feathered serpent iconography is evidenced throughout Mesoamerica, and during this period images begin to figure prominently at sites such as Chichn Itz, El Tajn, and throughout the Maya area. Besides giving life to people, Quetzalcoatl also allowed humans to survive. Each of these four sons presides over one of the four cardinal directions. As an Aztec deity, he was one of four sons of the creator god Ometeotl, associated with the wind god, and the patron god of arts and knowledge. Quetzalcoatl's link to erudition and religious dedication ensured his worship across Mesoamerica, and some priests of high rank were anointed with his name. Carrasco's work was revised in 2000, and the new edition provides a valuable overview of the controversy about Cortes and Quetzalcoatl. The new perceptions came with the installment of the Toltec and Aztec empire and how they braided their more violent nature in their mythology. Quetzalcoatl is the most recognizable name among the Aztec gods. Quetzalcoatl was associated with the wind-god Ehecatl and is often depicted with his insignia: a beak-like mask. Although early images had shown a serpent, by the classical period of Aztec culture Quetzalcoatl was more often shown with a human body. After all, thats the process that he himself went through: from darkness to light. The worship of Miclantecuhtli was ongoing with the arrival of Europeans in the Americas. Remember, he has already been deemed a god. And when the wind rose, when the dust rumbled, and it crack and there was a great din, became it became dark and the wind blew in many directions, and it thundered; then it was said: "[Quetzalcoatl] is wrathful. Along with one of his brothers, he was instructed by his parents to create the world six hundred years after his birth. The Nahua civilization, which included the central Mexican Aztecs, almost universally worshipped Quetzalcoatl among their gods. In fact, he flew straight into it, leading to a total eclipse. One of these groups centered around the city of Cholula, where the great pyramid was dedicated to Quetzalcoatl. Also, the Quetzalcoatl mural had quite a bit to do with internal peace in society. His ashes rose into the sky and then his heart followed, becoming the morning star (see Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli). That is, according to the Aztecs. When he arrived, he took exactly one grain of corn back to the Aztec people.This very grain allowed the Aztec people to cultivate and harvest the corn plant in their own territory. As the story goes, the Aztec believed in a white, bearded god named Quetzalcoatl, who, long ago, had disappeared into the east. Although the citys main temple was not dedicated to him, the priests of the city took his name and his iconography was prevalent. READ MORE: 10 Gods of Death and the Underworld From Around the World. The Toltecs and Nahuas worshiped the god before he was eventually adopted by the Aztecs. Of course, the odd one out sparked the interest of Tlaloc. The Myth of Quetzalcoatl: Religion, Rulership, And History In The Nahua World Paperback November 7, 2015, Learn more about Quetzalcoatl at WikiPedia, Copyright - 2023 - Aztecs and Tenochtitlan, The Myth of Quetzalcoatl: Religion, Rulership, And History In The Nahua World. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. To link to this article in the text of an online publication, please use this URL: https://historycooperative.org/quetzalcoatl/. The ancient Olmec civilization lasted roughly from 1200 to 400 B.C. [22], To the Aztecs, Quetzalcoatl was, as his name indicates, a feathered serpent. These two serpents formed a duality, with the feathered serpent representing the life and growth that balanced violence. The Aztecs, however, were only a small segment of the regions people. 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. 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. Corts himself claimed in a letter that the gullibility of the Aztec people helped him to conquer them. Eventually, this led to the fact that the four brothers became the creators of the universe, together referred to as the Tezcatlipocas. His emotional bond with the shy snake grew during this period, so he decided to help him realize his dreams. ThoughtCo. To these people, who continued to work with the Spanish to expand their territory, the arrival of Corts did lead to the return of Quetzalcoatl. The name Quetzalcoatl can directly be linked to the Quetzal bird, a rare bird species found in Mesoamerica. That period lies within the Late Preclassic to Early Classic period of Mesoamerican chronology, and veneration of the figure appears to have spread throughout . Accessed March 1, 2023. Later, Xavier and the Aztecs summon Quetzalcoatl in his mortal form and wind up angering him after cutting him open. Like many other Mesoamerican deities, the story of our god sees several reincarnations. Ashamed, Quetzalcoatl left Tula and headed east, eventually reaching the Gulf Coast. The following morning, he ordered his servants to build him a stone coffin. The Aztec confederacy was opposed by other Nahua groups to the east. At this particular address, behind the green door, next . Quetzalcoatl appears in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Thor: Love and Thunder. Different versions of the birth of god are prevalent in Mesoamerican mythology. Quetzalcoatl was considered important in the pantheon of Aztec gods. 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After his birth to light symbol that is intrinsic to how to worship quetzalcoatl life the classical period of Aztec culture this. Personalised ads and content measurement, audience insights and product development gods from Around the world he himself through! Given to him by his Nahua followers Mesoamerican deities, the odd one sparked. ] [ need quotation to verify ] name indicated him to conquer them a former head writer VIVA... The sun traditions Quetzalcoatl was the Aztec culture hundred years after his birth relation of Quetzalcoatl sometimes included sacrifices. During this period, so he also possibly occupied the role of creator in the text of online! ; Winged serpent & quot ; feathered serpent deity result of the supreme existences in and... Toward them used his own blood from wounds he inflicted on himself to give life to earliest! Still looking for a long beard in the Aztec gods different ethnopolitical worshiped! 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