As the story goes, the Aztec believed in a white, bearded god named Quetzalcoatl, who, long ago, had disappeared into the east. [15] In the 17th century, Ixtlilxchitl, a descendant of Aztec royalty and historian of the Nahua people, wrote, "Quetzalcoatl, in its literal sense, means 'serpent of precious feathers' but in the allegorical sense, 'wisest of men'."[16]. Some Mesoamericans believed that as part of the creation of the world he had given people maize, making him an important agricultural god. Tlaltcuhtli was so upset at the loss of her own body that she demanded the hearts and blood of humans to appease her wrath. But had Montezuma struck quickly at these intruders as they were marching inland, he likely could have defeated them. [22], To the Aztecs, Quetzalcoatl was, as his name indicates, a feathered serpent. The cult even spread down into the Maya lands. Standing over ten feet tall, the statue towers over onlookers as she leans toward them. There is no question that the legend of Quetzalcoatl played a significant role in the colonial period. Much of the idea of Corts being seen as a deity can be traced back to the Florentine Codex written down some 50 years after the conquest. ThoughtCo, Aug. 28, 2020, thoughtco.com/facts-about-quetzalcoatl-2136322. In some traditions, he was considered to be the creator of mankind. Or, more appropriately, Abya Yala.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. https://www.thoughtco.com/facts-about-quetzalcoatl-2136322 (accessed March 2, 2023). (Restall 2001 p. 114)[full citation needed]. Quetzalcoatl drank it, became intoxicated and committed incest with his sister, Quetzalptatl. In the codices, he was generally more human-like. 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. Venus, which the god was closely associated with, appeared in the sky at the beginning of the rainy season. iPhone History: A Timeline of Every Model in Order Indeed, Tlaloc can be traced back to the earliest myths of the civilization of Teotihuacan. The Origin of Hotdogs, The History of Boracay Island in The Philippines. It was here that the name Quetzalcoatl was given to him by his Nahua followers. [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. Quetzalcoatls quarrels with his brother Tezcatlipoca sometimes brought about these destructions of the world. Latter-day Saint author Brant Gardner, after investigating the link between Quetzalcoatl and Jesus, concluded that the association amounts to nothing more than folklore. This made it an important sign of fertility because it brought with it the rains that renewed the earth. 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. He would submerge himself in a highly flammable substance and set himself on fire, granting himself a place amongst the stars. In the Mesoamerican Epiclassic Period (900-1200 A.D.), worship of Quetzalcoatl took off. There, they greatly influenced late Mayan culture. For more details, Wikipedia is a good resource. He was also associated with the creation of mankind, so he also possibly occupied the role of creator in the Aztec mythology. Quetzalcoatl was so closely linked to fertility and creation that many groups held him to be the creator of mankind. ; (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 . He was worshiped among all the major cultures of the Mesoamerican region through history. . Quetzalcoatl was not only one of the most important deities in pre-Columbian Mexico, he was also one of the oldest. Eventually, this led to the fact that the four brothers became the creators of the universe, together referred to as the Tezcatlipocas. At the end of the fourth cycle, when mankind had perished again according to the mythology, Quetzalcoatl created a new people with his blood. "9 Facts About Quetzalcoatl." On the basis of the iconography of the feathered-serpent deity at sites such as Teotihuacan, Xochicalco, Chichn Itz, Tula and Tenochtitlan combined with certain ethnohistorical sources, historian David Carrasco has argued that the preeminent function of the feathered-serpent deity throughout Mesoamerican history was as the patron deity of the urban center - a god of culture and civilization. In the underworld, Quetzalcoatl went all the way to Mictln; the lowest region of the Aztec underworld. Historians debate to what degree, or whether at all, these narratives about this legendary Toltec ruler describe historical events. The two priests came to their position after living an exemplary life, with pure and compassionate hearts. He also encouraged them to worship a different god, Quetzalcoatl (kehtsahlkoh AHT uhl), or the Feathered Serpent. . Round monuments occur particularly often in Huastec territory. As a wind god, he was also responsible for making the rain fall. This was not because he was a builder or king, but because he oversaw the agriculture that allowed cities to flourish. 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. It starts with Tlaloc, the Aztec god of rain. Like most of their gods, the Aztecs shared him with both allies and foes throughout Mexico and Central America. After the first four ages of man ended, the feathered serpent stole their bones from the Underworld and used his own blood to give them new life. One of the supreme existences in North and Central America WP as well as in Aztec Mythology WP. Excessive politeness was actually used in Nahuatl rhetoric to express the opposite meaning. For example, theSerpent iconography represents both the light of day and the darkness of night, the birth of life, and the fatality of death. 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. [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. Although figuring prominently in many Mesoamerican mythologies, Quetzalcoatl also spawned a cult of his own. 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. He is usually interpreted as the same god with a different regional name, and is therefore often referred to as Ehecatl-Quetzalcoatl. 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. The Toltecs and Nahuas worshiped the god before he was eventually adopted by the Aztecs. 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. 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. [10], The earliest known documentation of the worship of a Feathered Serpent occurs in Teotihuacan in the first century BC or first century AD. Evidence of such worship comes from the iconography of different Mesoamerican cultures, in which serpent motifs occur frequently. 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. [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. 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? His name means Plumed Serpent, referring specifically to the green quetzal birds native to Central America. Quetzalcoatl was many things: (1) a historical personage - a great priest-king and religious reformer who lived in approximately the tenth century A.D. Ultimately, Quetzalcoatl was forced into exile. And, it wasnt so bad after all. One of his most defining attributes, however, is his breastplate. After only a couple of years, the Aztec empire ended due to a combination of foreign diseases and diplomacy. Although some Mesoamericans believed that Quetzalcoatl did not enjoy human sacrifices, others believed that his creation myth demanded them. [14], The name Quetzalcoatl comes from the Nahuatl language and means "Precious serpent" or "Quetzal-feathered Serpent". 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. 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. Different Mesoamerican groups had their own legends about Quetzalcoatl and placed emphasis on different domains. Corts himself claimed in a letter that the gullibility of the Aztec people helped him to conquer them. His name in many cultures translated to Feathered Serpent and he was depicted in many iconographic illustrations. This, too, meant the end of the god Quetzalcoatl. The spelling of the name is rooted in Nahuatl, a language that has been spoken since at least the seventh century CE.The first part comes from the Nahuatl word quetzalli, meaning precious green feather. The second part of his name, coatl, means serpent. Continue with Recommended Cookies. Rather, one was named Quetzalcoatl Totec Tlamacazqui, and the other one Quetzalcoatl Tlaloc Tlamacazqui. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. His job was to protect the sun from the dangers of the underworld. 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 wears around his neck the breastplate ehcaczcatl, "the spirally voluted wind jewel". In the modern era, however, many aspects of this legend have come into question. Have you ever eaten blue, white, black, or red corn? [24] In another story, the virgin Chimalman conceived Quetzalcoatl by swallowing an emerald. Are you still looking for a being that caused a solar eclipse? A lot of cultures such as the Maya, Toltecs, Aztecs, and many polities in Central Mexico used to worship the deity Quetzalcoatl during Postclassic period. But even things of an extremely mundane nature like s. [9] In Mazatec legends the astrologer deity Tlahuizcalpanteuctli, who is also represented by Venus, bears a close relationship with Quetzalcoatl. 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