He sometimes carries flowers or sacrificial tools. The earliest known iconographic depiction of the deity appears on Stela 19 at the Olmec site of La Venta. His appearance can change drastically, however, depending on the region, era, and context. Over time, Quetzalcoatl's appearance, clothing, malevolent nature, and status among the gods were reshaped to fit a more Christian framework. ThoughtCo, Aug. 28, 2020, thoughtco.com/facts-about-quetzalcoatl-2136322. This, too, can be seen in the birth of Quetzalcoatl. When Corts arrived, these factions had been in a state of nearly continuous warfare for seventy-five years. Hernn Corts, perhaps the most notorious colonizer, is often identified as this very reincarnation of Quetzalcoatl. 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. The Nahuatl nouns compounded into the proper name "Quetzalcoatl" are: (in English, Spanish, and Nahuatl languages), Proposed Book of Mormon geographical setting, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Fate/Grand Order - Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia, The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, "Evidence of Mushroom Worship in Mesoamerica", "New Taxonomical and Ethnomycological Observations on, "All You Need To Know About The Ancient Aztec Gods and Goddesses", "Readings in Classical Nahuatl: The Death of Quetzalcoatl", "Gift of the Gods: Chocolate in the Aztec Empire", "The Complete New York City Horror Movie Marathon! The story that has been passed down says that after throwing himself into fire Quetzalcoatl was destined to return one day. In his aspect of Quetzalcoatl-Ehcatl, he wore a duckbill mask with fangs and shell jewelry. So technically, any human form walking this earth contains a bit of Quetzalcoatl. There are several stories about the birth of Quetzalcoatl. Some legends describe him as opposed to human sacrifice[26] while others describe him practicing it.[27][28]. ; (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 . 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. He was worshiped among all the major cultures of the Mesoamerican region through history. Quetzalcoatl was a jack of many trades, a truth also reflected in the stories surrounding his birth. The major worship of this god as Quetzalcoatl began in 700 . By Quetzalcoatl was a god for many ancient . This talisman was a conch shell cut at the cross-section and was likely worn as a necklace by religious rulers, as such objects have been discovered in burials in archaeological sites throughout Mesoamerica,[6] and potentially symbolized patterns witnessed in hurricanes, dust devils, seashells, and whirlpools, which were elemental forces that had significance in Aztec mythology. When Cortes and his crew of Spaniards came ashore in Mexico in 1519, many thought they were gods. Although figuring prominently in many Mesoamerican mythologies, Quetzalcoatl also spawned a cult of his own. Don't fly too close to the sun or sit under her rays unprotected for too long. [5] It was one of several important gods in the Aztec pantheon, along with the gods Tlaloc, Tezcatlipoca and Huitzilopochtli. 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. Some said that before this he had helped to create the world itself. In the era following the 16th-century Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, a number of records conflated Quetzalcoatl with Ce Acatl Topiltzin, a ruler of the mythico-historic city of Tollan. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. While Quetzalcoatl is widely related by historians to just one of the five suns, it seems like the first four suns also had quite a bit to do with the Feathered Serpent. By adding a bit of his own blood, he allowed a new civilization to emerge. That is, according to the Aztecs. Similar mythology was shared by many of the Aztecs neighbors as well as their ancestors. Often he is also represented as spider monkeys, ducks, and other animals or beings of nature. Franciscans such as Toribio de Benavente "Motolinia" saw elements of Christianity in the pre-Columbian religions and therefore believed that Mesoamerica had been evangelized before, possibly by Thomas the Apostle, who, according to legend, had "gone to preach beyond the Ganges". Indeed, the same as the one from the Great Pyramid. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. The south is represented by Huitzilopochtli who is the Blue Tezcatlipoca and the god of war. For example, the Aztecs revered him as the god of the priesthood, knowledge, and trade. One of the jewels he is depicted with is the wind jewel, affirming his status as a wind god. Corts himself claimed in a letter that the gullibility of the Aztec people helped him to conquer them. 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". Where once feathered snakes were worshiped all over, after the Spanish conquest the locals were forced into worshiping Jesus Christ. I have been in love with all things related to Mythology. 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. It is not a coincidence that Quetzalcoatl is just as often referred to as the Feathered Serpent by his worshipers and historians. Please like and share this article if you found it useful. Historian Matthew Restall concludes that: The legend of the returning lords, originated during the Spanish-Mexica war in Corts' reworking of Moctezuma's welcome speech, had by the 1550s merged with the Corts-as-Quetzalcoatl legend that the Franciscans had started spreading in the 1530s. They kept the same gods but believed in a new story. The Aztec confederacy was opposed by other Nahua groups to the east. READ MORE: Water Gods and Sea Gods From Around the World. In Tenochtitlan, Quezelcoatls name was used as a priestly title. 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. C catl Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl [s kat topiltsin ketsalkoat] ( Our Prince One-Reed Precious Serpent) (c. 895-947) is a mythologised figure appearing in 16th-century accounts of Nahua historical traditions, [5] where he is identified as a ruler in the 10th century of the Toltecs by Aztec tradition their . 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. 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. 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). [9] In Mazatec legends the astrologer deity Tlahuizcalpanteuctli, who is also represented by Venus, bears a close relationship with Quetzalcoatl. How old is the United States of America? 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. Mexico's flagship airline Aeromxico has a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner painted in a special Quetzalcoatl livery. In the 16th century, Spaniards conquered the Aztec Empire. Known as the Ehecailacozcatl, its swirling design represents the wind. As shown by his spiral jewel, Quetzalcoatl was a god of wind. The legend of Quetzalcoatl is spoofed in the Adult Swim CGI series Xavier: Renegade Angel. [12] Feathered-serpent iconography is prominent at all of these sites. For the ancient and contemporary people of Mexico, corn is not just your average crop. The worship of Quetzalcoatl is wide-reaching, has a rich history, and exemplifies the complex world of Aztec mythology. 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. Based on the birth story of Quetzalcoatl, it seems safe to assume that the fourth sun was destroyed because of the floods caused by Tlaloc. 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. While drunk, Quetzalcoatl seduced his sister, a celibate priestess. As a god of wind, Quetzalcoatl was also an important fertility deity. Profile [] Identity []. 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. Mesoamerican deities often functioned in duality. Xolotl was the sinister god of monstrosities who wears the spirally-twisted wind jewel and the ear ornaments of Quetzalcoatl. [30], He is also attributed with having brought the cacao plant from a sacred mountain to the Toltec people, teaching the women how to make traditional drinking chocolate.[31]. In some traditions, he was considered to be the creator of mankind. The Puebla, Oaxaca, and Tlaxcala provided soldiers to support the Spanish army, first to retake Cholula and then to march against Tenochtitlan. In some versions of the ancient Mesoamerican histories, Quetzalcoatl was reborn as Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli after being burned on a funeral pyre. [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. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. As a double of Quetzalcoatl, he carries his conch-like ehecailacacozcatl or wind jewel.Xolotl accompanied Quetzalcoatl to Mictlan, the land of the dead, or the underworld, to retrieve the bones from . To both Teotihuacan and Maya cultures, Venus was in turn also symbolically connected with warfare.[21]. Before he left, however, he promised to return. Different cultures associated him with priesthood and kingship, further complicating his mythology in later retellings. The four suns before Quetzalcoatl had been destroyed by disastrous events, like floods, fires, and volcanic eruptions. Quetzalcoatl became linked with the maize crop thanks to ancient legends. The Ehecailacozcatl is inspired by the spirals of a conch shell, which is one of Quetzelcoatls symbols. The date 9 Wind is known to be associated with fertility, Venus and war among the Maya and frequently occurs in relation to Quetzalcoatl in other Mesoamerican cultures. 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. Continue with Recommended Cookies. 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. On the basis of the different symbolic systems used in portrayals of the feathered-serpent deity in different cultures and periods, scholars have interpreted the religious and symbolic meaning of the feathered-serpent deity in Mesoamerican cultures. The most astonishing aspect of their worship, at least to the Spaniards, was their habit of human sacrifice . There was one way that would certainly work, namely by letting it rain so abundantly that the snake simply drifted out of the cave. As Quetzalcoatl Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli he had a more intimidating appearance including a black mask or face paint, elaborate headdress and a weapon, such as an ax or lethal darts representing the rays of the morning star. It starts with Tlaloc, the Aztec god of rain. Quetzalcoatl's opposite was Tezcatlipoca, who supposedly sent Quetzalcoatl into exile. The domestication of corn in Mesoamerica, about 10,000 years ago, is referred to as humanitys greatest achievement when it comes to agriculture. Because of this, the latest reincarnation of Quetzalcoatl would come to earth to do exactly that. After only a couple of years, the Aztec empire ended due to a combination of foreign diseases and diplomacy. There, they greatly influenced late Mayan culture. Quetzalcoatl stole the bones from the Underworld, taking great risks and evading many traps to bring them to the surface. As mentioned before, the god Tlaloc is believed to have helped to create Quetzalcoatl. Welcome. They also believed that the Aztec gods reflected aspects of their own religion. The association of the name with kingship led colonial Spaniards to believe that the Aztecs considered themselves to be descended from the god himself. Quetzalcoatl is thus not only an Aztec god. Quetzalcoatl wasnt all that happy with it, however. 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. Depiction of the Aztec gods reflected aspects of their worship, at least to the.. Adult Swim CGI series Xavier: Renegade Angel to the surface volcanic.. 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