What a conundrum. ThoughtCo. What did Quetzalcoatl teach? [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. [11] That period lies within the Late Preclassic to Early Classic period (400 BC 600 AD) of Mesoamerican chronology; veneration of the figure appears to have spread throughout Mesoamerica by the Late Classic period (600900AD). 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. By 1200 AD, Quetzalcoatls iconography had become more fixed. He drove the winds that brought rain and allowed plants to grow. 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. According to another mythological account, he was conceived by the virgin Chimalman after she swallowed an emerald. He headed east, eventually settling in Chichen Itza. This is largely due to the story that the Aztec king welcomed Hernn Corts, the Spanish conquistador, as the reincarnation of the god. 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. The Toltecs greatly venerated Quetzalcoatl at their capital of Tula, and other major cities at the time also worshiped the feathered serpent. Quetzalcoatls quarrels with his brother Tezcatlipoca sometimes brought about these destructions of the world. There was one way that would certainly work, namely by letting it rain so abundantly that the snake simply drifted out of the cave. 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. [45][46] The deity has been featured as a character in the manga and anime series Yu-Gi-Oh! He also encouraged them to worship a different god, Quetzalcoatl (kehtsahlkoh AHT uhl), or the Feathered Serpent. Accessed March 1, 2023. Quetzalcoatl became linked with the maize crop thanks to ancient legends. Because the feathered serpent was such a widespread and long-lasting archetype, he was known by many names throughout Mexico and Central America. He also has red and green feathers around his head and back. The Teotihuacan iconographical depictions are often interpreted as a version where Quetzalcoatl played the role of a fertility-related serpent deity. 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. Quetzalcoatl was the Aztec version of this plumed snake archetype. According to stories, Aztec people only ate animals or roots until Quetzalcoatl arrived. The most astonishing aspect of their worship, at least to the Spaniards, was their habit of human sacrifice . So Quetzalcoatl is named after the thing he looks like, a feathered serpent deity. Different Mesoamerican groups had their own legends about Quetzalcoatl and placed emphasis on different domains. [8] In his form as the morning star, Venus, he is also depicted as a harpy eagle. The four suns before Quetzalcoatl had been destroyed by disastrous events, like floods, fires, and volcanic eruptions. Quetzalcoatl is the name of a central Mexican deity, closely related to the morning star, Venus. As the story goes, the Aztec believed in a white, bearded god named Quetzalcoatl, who, long ago, had disappeared into the east. Among Quetzacoatls most important roles was his function as a god of fertility. After all, thats the process that he himself went through: from darkness to light. [9] In Mazatec legends the astrologer deity Tlahuizcalpanteuctli, who is also represented by Venus, bears a close relationship with Quetzalcoatl. This constitutes the Late Pre-Classic Period of the Mayan civilization. [24] In another story, the virgin Chimalman conceived Quetzalcoatl by swallowing an emerald. 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. He is also a god of learning, reading, and books. (2020, August 28). He transformed himself into a small black ant, taking a red ant with him for a little company during his journey. 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. Auh yn jquac molhuja eheca, mjtoa: teuhtli quaqualaca, ycoioca, tetecujca, tlatlaiooa, tlatlapitza, tlatlatzinj, motlatlaueltia. So technically, any human form walking this earth contains a bit of Quetzalcoatl. The temple can be found at Teotihuacan and was erected in the third century. In Xochicalco, depictions of the feathered serpent accompany the image of a seated, armed ruler and the hieroglyph for the day sign 9 Wind. Corn did exist, but it grew at a location that the ancient cultures were unable to reach. Some Mormons believe that Quetzalcoatl, who was associated with the east, (which in turn was represented by the color white to the Aztecs), was white-skinned. The gods powers extended beyond the wind, however. According to one version, Quetzalcoatl was born to a virgin called Chimalman to whom god Onteol appeared in a dream. Ehecatl In some Aztec areas, such as Tenochtitlan, this was another wind god with nearly identical iconography to Quetzalcoatl. Mexico's flagship airline Aeromxico has a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner painted in a special Quetzalcoatl livery. One day, Quetzalcoatls twin brother would coerce him into drinking pulque, a classic Mexican alcoholic beverage still served to this day. 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. [12] Feathered-serpent iconography is prominent at all of these sites. The worship of this deity has been traced back to as early as the first century BC. [18][need quotation to verify]. The city of Cholula, in particular, was known for the importance it laid on the deity of the feathered serpent. However, later sources uncover that already a year before him a similar figure dwelled in the lands of the Aztec territory. [44], Quetzalcoatl was fictionalized in the 1982 film Q as a monster that terrorizes New York City. Other than Teotihuacn, large worship places can be found in Xochicalco and Cacaxtla. [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 two priests came to their position after living an exemplary life, with pure and compassionate hearts. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Human worship. Quetzalcoatl wears around his neck the breastplate ehcaczcatl, "the spirally voluted wind jewel". And when their march inland took them to the Aztec emperor's doorstep . [25] Quetzalcoatl was often considered the god of the morning star, and his twin brother Xolotl was the evening star (Venus). When Cortes and his crew of Spaniards came ashore in Mexico in 1519, many thought they were gods. This made crops grow and brought water for drinking. It starts with Tlaloc, the Aztec god of rain. Different cultures associated him with priesthood and kingship, further complicating his mythology in later retellings. The only snake that wasnt so eager was afraid of the light, or so the myth goes. The Aztecs, however, were only a small segment of the regions people. 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. Thats quite a big deal, because for the people in ancient Mexico, maize, or corn, is not just a crop. 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. Later, Xavier and the Aztecs summon Quetzalcoatl in his mortal form and wind up angering him after cutting him open. Different versions of the birth of god are prevalent in Mesoamerican mythology. Profile [] Identity []. Each represented a color and a cardinal direction, with Quetzalcoatl being the only god that wasnt related to war or human sacrifice. Quetzalcoatl is the creator of all people and the giver of wisdom, corn, and the calendar. Did the Incas worship Quetzalcoatl? Ruler of the, Nicholson 2001, Carrasco 1982, Gillespie 1989, Florescano 2002, Lafaye 1987, Townsend 2003, Martnez 1980, Phelan 1970. This, too, can be seen in the birth of Quetzalcoatl. Dated to around 900 BC, it depicts a serpent rising up behind a person probably engaged in a shamanic ritual. Because, if they did include human sacrifice, basically a part of Quetzalcoatl himself would be killed in order to honor him. Or rather, arrived again. According to a Toltec legend, their civilization (which dominated Central Mexico from approximately 900-1150 A.D.) was founded by a great hero, Ce Acatl Topiltzn Quetzalcoatl. 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. 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. 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. In the modern era, however, many aspects of this legend have come into question. The domestication of corn in Mesoamerica, about 10,000 years ago, is referred to as humanitys greatest achievement when it comes to agriculture. Quetzalcoatl by himself was a god of many things to the Toltecs and Aztecs. There is no surviving account of this myth in native sources, however. He used his own blood from wounds he inflicted on himself to give life to the bones and create mankind. After Topiltzin's exile, Toltec power began to decline. In the extant Mayan sources, it has been revealed that Quetzalcoatl, or the Feathered Serpent, was associated with warfare as well as fertility. Quetzalcoatl is a form of one of Mesoamericas most wide-spread images. 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 is a Mesoamerican god whose name literally means feathered serpent. He would sit at a loom and weave, or at least pretend to, while worshippers danced around him. Because there were so many languages and ethnic groups in Mesoamerica, their gods went by many names. Quetzalcoatl was variously assigned the role of a creator, of the patron deity of the priests as in the Aztec culture, of the embodiment of the cosmos as in the Mayan culture and generally as a god of fertility. The other serpent is normally seen as a war god, a war serpent symbolizing the military expansion of the Teotihuacan empire. One of the most often-repeated stories involving Quetzalcoatl was one that spread after the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in Mexico. Quetzalcoatl had aspects in which he functioned as other gods. Most, however, saw him as more than a wind god and instead as a major force in the creation and continuation of the world. 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. Of these, Quetzalcoatl was the Sun in the second cycle. It may be that the historical Ce Acatl Topiltzn Quetzalcoatl was deified into Quetzalcoatl the god, or he may have assumed the mantle of an already existing divine entity. Like many other Mesoamerican deities, the story of our god sees several reincarnations. Mayans had deities with feathered serpent as their names. My name is Mike and for as long as I can remember (too long!) Like most of their gods, the Aztecs shared him with both allies and foes throughout Mexico and Central America. Some followers of the Latter Day Saints movement believe that Quetzalcoatl was historically Jesus Christ, who Latter-day Saints believe visited the New World as a resurrected being as reported in the Book of Mormon, but believe his name and the details of the event were gradually lost over time. In Aztec culture, this was considered to be one of the most important primal forces. Quetzalcoatl stole the bones from the Underworld, taking great risks and evading many traps to bring them to the surface. Alternatively, he left willingly on a raft of snakes, promising to return. The legend of Quetzalcoatl is spoofed in the Adult Swim CGI series Xavier: Renegade Angel. 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. The earliest Aztec and classic Maya serpent iconography can be found in a six-tiered pyramid specifically dedicated to Quetzalcoatl. Minster, Christopher. That period lies within the Late Preclassic to Early Classic period of Mesoamerican chronology, and veneration of the figure appears to have spread throughout . Cholula had been captured by pro-Aztec forces. Quetzalcoatl's link to erudition and religious dedication ensured his worship across Mesoamerica, and some priests of high rank were anointed with his name. The floods, too, caused great disaster to the earth in general. 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.. A Walking Tour of the Maya Capital of Chichn Itz, The Chac Mool Sculptures of Ancient Mexico, Influence of the Olmec Civilization on Mesoamerica. That is, according to the Aztecs. The title of the twin Aztec high priests wasnt just Quetzalcoatl. His form of reincarnation, more specifically, would be that of a white person with a long beard. In some traditions, he was considered to be the creator of 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. 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. The next morning, Quetzalcoatl, feeling shame and regret, had his servants build him a stone chest, adorn him in turquoise, and then, laying in the chest, set himself on fire. 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