Because of this, the ways in which he was worshipped varied widely. ; (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 . Archaeological sites in Mexico City have street addresses, not GPS coordinates, as sites tend to elsewhere. "[17], Quetzalcoatl also became linked with rulership and priestly office; additionally, among the Toltec, the name was used as a military title and its representation as an emblem. Xolotl was the sinister god of monstrosities who wears the spirally-twisted wind jewel and the ear ornaments of Quetzalcoatl. [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]. Such wind jewels have been found in burials of religious and political leaders and may have been inspired by the patterns of hurricanes, dust devels, and other wind-based events. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. The importance of Quetzalcoatl in the Aztec civilization is, too, emphasized by his relationship with the priests of the empire. Over the South presides the Blue Tezcatlipoca, Huitzilopochtli, the god of war. Mainly because they thought one of them was the reincarnation of the beloved god discussed in this article. After the eclipse of the fourth sun, Quetzalcoatl would go on a trip to the underworld. Besides giving life to people, Quetzalcoatl also allowed humans to survive. Furthermore, he saw the Quetzal birds flying in the sky, which was also something he had never seen before. 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. This is also evident in the duality of serpent figures throughout Mesopotamian history. 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 sometimes carries flowers or sacrificial tools. Rise early to appreciate the magnificence of her rising, and try to spend some time soaking up her warmth whenever you can. 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. 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., -Bernadino de Sahagn, Florentine Codex: General History of the Things of New Spain. The east is represented by Xipe Totec who is the Red Tezcatlipoca and the god of gold and farming. It is believed by the Aztec religion expert that the deity arose from the combination of the historical leader, Ce Acatl Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl, and a Mesoamerican god. In Aztec culture, depictions of Quetzalcoatl were fully anthropomorphic. . Minster, Christopher. Quetzalcoatl was many things: (1) a historical personage - a great priest-king and religious reformer who lived in approximately the tenth century A.D. [5] It was one of several important gods in the Aztec pantheon, along with the gods Tlaloc, Tezcatlipoca and Huitzilopochtli. He headed east, eventually settling in Chichen Itza. And, it wasnt so bad after all. However, each and every god had failed terribly in doing so. In some versions of the ancient Mesoamerican histories, Quetzalcoatl was reborn as Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli after being burned on a funeral pyre. He figures most prominently in the Aztec mythology but it was in the city of Cholula that the cult of Quetzalcoatl enjoyed influence and prominence during the Classic Period of Mesoamerica. Chichen Itza is famous for its Temple of Kukulcn, which was their name for Quetzalcoatl. Among the Aztecs, the name Quetzalcoatl was also a priestly title, as the two most important priests of the Aztec Templo Mayor were called "Quetzalcoatl Tlamacazqui". 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. The Origin of Hotdogs, The History of Boracay Island in The Philippines. Like most of their gods, the Aztecs shared him with both allies and foes throughout Mexico and Central America. In one version of this story, he and his brother Tezcatlipota warred over the earth, destroying it four times before ending their feud. 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. They kept the same gods but believed in a new story. "9 Facts About Quetzalcoatl." According to the Book of Mormon, the resurrected Jesus Christ descended from heaven and visited the people of the American continent, shortly after his resurrection. Quetzalcoatl appears in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Thor: Love and Thunder. Mayans had deities with feathered serpent as their names. In their mythology, the world was periodically destroyed and rebuilt by the gods. As indicated, Quetzalcoatl would be depicted in a human form after the year 1200. 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. Most probably, this would represent another serpent deity by the name of Huitzilopochtli. Members of this confederacy from Tlaxcala, Puebla, and Oaxaca provided the Spaniards with the army that first reclaimed the city of Cholula from its pro-Aztec ruling faction, and ultimately defeated the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan (Mexico City). 1. 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 is a Mesoamerican god whose name literally means feathered serpent. 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. 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. Quetzelcoatl also appeared on (Season 3) of the Animal Planet mockumentary Lost Tapes in an episode entitled "Q the Serpent God". If your web page requires an HTML link, please insert this code: . All but one. 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. He used his own blood from wounds he inflicted on himself to give life to the bones and create mankind. There, they greatly influenced late Mayan culture. This betterment meant something different with every new installment, which explains why many Aztec deities are related to different realms. 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. The god in human form taught them to cultivate corn seeds, to work with jade, gold and obsidian, how to dye cotton, the art of astronomy, he enriched their writing, promoted the worship of the gods and forbade human sacrifices, teaching them self-sacrifice by pricking themselves with maguey thorns instead. It is also suggested that he was a son of Xochiquetzal and Mixcoatl. Of course, the odd one out sparked the interest of Tlaloc. They maintained a major pilgrimage and commercial center at Cholula, Puebla which the Spaniards compared to both Rome and Mecca because the cult of the god united its constituents through a field of common social, political, and religious values without dominating them militarily. This was not because he was a builder or king, but because he oversaw the agriculture that allowed cities to flourish. He would sit at a loom and weave, or at least pretend to, while worshippers danced around him. These sources further claimed that it was because of this superstition that Moctezuma II invited Cortes as a guest and didnt harm him or his soldiers. The story of how the ordinary Quetzalcoatl became one of the heavenly brothers goes as followed. In his form as Ehecatl he is the wind, and is represented by spider monkeys, ducks, and the wind itself. Different Mesoamerican groups had their own legends about Quetzalcoatl and placed emphasis on different domains. While the inhabitants of Teotihuacan were the first ones to worship Quetzalcoatl, the Aztecs reinterpreted him over time. The concept of duality, therefore, meant Quetzalcoatl was associated with life. Hernan Cortes, who led the Spaniards, was first invited into the city by Aztec Emperor Moctezuma II. The Aztec confederacy was opposed by other Nahua groups to the east. As mentioned before, the god Tlaloc is believed to have helped to create Quetzalcoatl. 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. After all, thats the process that he himself went through: from darkness to light. [19] The most important center was Cholula, where the world's largest pyramid was dedicated to Quetzalcoatl-worship. While other gods had relied on brute force for reaching the other side, Quetzalcoatl relied on intelligence in order to reach the maize. What are the facts associated with this mysterious god? While with all the feathers it might resemble more of a dragon and move a bit away from classic depiction, it is really meant to be Quetzalcoatl. His body is usually black, a color that represents the north in Aztec art. With great respect and awe. Often he is also represented as spider monkeys, ducks, and other animals or beings of nature. 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. [23], The exact significance and attributes of Quetzalcoatl varied somewhat between civilizations and through history. The temple can be found at Teotihuacan and was erected in the third century. 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. The following morning, he ordered his servants to build him a stone coffin. The relation of Quetzalcoatl with just the latest sun is a result of the mingling of his earliest myths and some new perceptions. Quetzalcoatl was not only one of the most important deities in pre-Columbian Mexico, he was also one of the oldest. Quetzalcoatl's opposite was Tezcatlipoca, who supposedly sent Quetzalcoatl into exile. Some said that before this he had helped to create the world itself. Like many other Mesoamerican deities, the story of our god sees several reincarnations. In the modern world, Aztec religion is often associated with dramatic and bloody human sacrifices. In one myth tied to this belief, the two killed a great monster and used its body to craft the world. [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. 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. likely used for curing rituals and private worship. Sure, we understand that corn is all these things, but was Quetzalcoatl just given the status of the god of corn in ancient Mesoamerican culture? Two other gods represented by the planet Venus are Tlaloc (ally and the god of rain) and Xolotl (psychopomp and its twin). Don't fly too close to the sun or sit under her rays unprotected for too long. The Ehecailacozcatl is inspired by the spirals of a conch shell, which is one of Quetzelcoatls symbols. For example, the Aztecs revered him as the god of the priesthood, knowledge, and trade. He is also a god of learning, reading, and books. ThoughtCo, Aug. 28, 2020, thoughtco.com/facts-about-quetzalcoatl-2136322. Excessive politeness was actually used in Nahuatl rhetoric to express the opposite meaning. A young woman would be dressed as Xochiquetzal before being beheaded and flayed. He is a former head writer at VIVA Travel Guides. 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