Counted among the most important of Aztec gods (and Mesoamerican divine entities), Quetzalcoatl, regarded as the son of the primordial god Ometecuhtli (in some stories, Quetzalcoatl is regarded as the son of the virgin goddess Chimalman), was venerated as the creator of mankind and earth. The first century of the Toltec civilization was dominated by the Teotihuacán culture, with its inspired ideals of priestly rule and peaceful behaviour. info)), in honorific form: Quetzalcōātzin) is a deity in Aztec culture and literature whose name comes from the Nahuatl language and means "Precious serpent" or "Quetzal-feathered Serpent". The earliest depictions of the feathered serpent deity were fully zoomorphic, depicting the serpent as an actual snake, but already among the Classic Maya, the deity began acquiring human features. As the morning and evening star, Quetzalcóatl was the symbol of death and resurrection. [9] Furthermore, early Spanish sources written by clerics tend to identify the god-ruler Quetzalcoatl of these narratives with either Hernán Cortés or Thomas the Apostle—identifications which have also become sources of a diversity of opinions about the nature of Quetzalcoatl.[10]. The Aztecs called him Quetzalcoatl and the ancient Maya referred to him as Kukulkan. The Mayan god of the wind, Quetzalcoatl, was represented in many forms, one of … He plays a key role in other Mesoamerican cultures such as Teotihuacan and the Maya. The contradictory nature of the feathered serpent symbolized the dual nature of Quetzalcoatl as both earth and sky god. He never offered human victims, only snakes, birds, and butterflies. Quetzalcoatl became a representation of the rain, the celestial water and their associated winds, while Tlaloc would be the god of earthly water, the water in lakes, caverns and rivers, and also of vegetation. In tracing the history of the worship of Quetzalcoatl, … (Many academics conclude this passage implies incest.) Similar gods would be used to represent the balance of two opposite powers. 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 Cortés (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. If the player uses a glitch to open the way to the Vesperpool before it is meant to be visited as part of the story, they will be trapped in Steyliff Grove if they kill quetzalcoatl too early. Quetzalcoatl was the third son of the dual creator god Ometeotl. Historians debate to what degree, or whether at all, these narratives about this legendary Toltec ruler describe historical events. Represented as the plumed serpent, Quetzalcoatl was also manifest in the wind, one of the most powerful forces of nature, and this relationship was captured in a text in the Nahuatl language: Quetzalcoatl; yn ehecatl ynteiacancauh yntlachpancauh in tlaloque, yn aoaque, yn qujqujiauhti. The legend of Quetzalcoatl is spoofed in the Adult Swim CGI series Xavier: Renegade Angel. He was a creator deity having contributed essentially to the creation of mankind. According to the Aztec Legend of the Suns, Quetzalcoatl ruled over the second Sun of Aztec creation . Founding a functionally new religion, Quetzalcoatl taught (and exemplified) prayer and penance. Omissions? (Written/compiled by Julia Flood/Mexicolore) Name of God: Quetzalcoatl or Feathered Serpent. 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 Tla… Lucoa is based off of the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, who is normally depicted as being male. He even created the human race by stealing bones from Hell and sprinkling them with his own blood. In this period the deity is known to have been named Quetzalcōhuātl by his Nahua followers. Quetzalcoatl was often considered the god of the morning star, and his twin brother Xolotl was the evening star (Venus). The exact significance and attributes of Quetzalcoatl varied somewhat between civilizations and through history. Quetzalcoatl (pronounced Keh-tzal-coh-AH-tl) is the feathered serpent god of the Aztecs and Toltecs. Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © … He also had anthropomorphic forms, for example in his aspects as Ehecatl the wind god. This tradition is strong and repetitive. He was a creator deity having contributed essentially to the creation of Mankind. The Tlaxcalteca, along with other city-states across the Plain of Puebla, then supplied the auxiliary and logistical support for the conquests of Guatemala and West Mexico while Mixtec and Zapotec caciques (Colonial indigenous rulers) gained monopolies in the overland transport of Manila galleon trade through Mexico, and formed highly lucrative relationships with the Dominican order in the new Spanish imperial world economic system that explains so much of the enduring legacy of indigenous life-ways that characterize southern Mexico and explain the popularity of the Quetzalcoatl legends that continued through the colonial period to the present day. As the god of learning, of writing, and of books, Quetzalcóatl was particularly venerated in the calmecac, religious colleges annexed to the temples, in which the future priests and the sons of the nobility were educated. 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. 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. 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. [28][29][30][31][32] Most documents expounding this theory are of entirely Spanish origin, such as Cortés's letters to Charles V of Spain, in which Cortés goes to great pains to present the naive gullibility of the Aztecs in general as a great aid in his conquest of Mexico. Quetzalcóatl became the god of the morning and evening star, and his temple was the centre of ceremonial life in Tula. When Hernán Cortés learned about the wealthy Aztecs during his exploration trip, he set out to find them. [3] In the 17th century, Ixtlilxóchitl, 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'. Over the West presides the White Tezcatlipoca, Quetzalcoatl, the god of light, justice, mercy and wind. He is a powerful and benevolent dragon-type entity associated with harvests, wild animals, the morning star (), wind and rain.He is also a god of learning, reading, and books. He could also appear in human form as a warrior wearing a tall, cone-shaped crown or cap made of ocelot skin and a pendant fashioned of jade or a conch shell. 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. He arrived in Tenochtitlan on November 8, 1519, where he was peacefully greeted by Emperor … Starting with his creation, there are many versions of how Quetzalcoatl came to be. Some followers of the Latter Day Saints movement believe that Quetzalcoatl was historically Jesus Christ, but believe his name and the details of the event were gradually lost over time. He was known as the inventor of books and the calendar, the giver of maize corn to mankind, and sometimes as a symbol of death and resurrection. In one version of the story he is one of the 400 children of the snake-skirted goddess Coatlicue. The pressure of the northern immigrants brought about a social and religious revolution, with a military ruling class seizing power from the priests. Killing a Quetzal was a crime punishable by death. 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". He was the feathered serpent, the white bearded priest, the whirlwind and Venus. The legend of the victory of Tezcatlipoca over the Feathered Serpent probably reflects historical fact. Quetzalcoatl was also the patron god of arts and knowledge. The cult of Quetzalcoatl, the "quetzal-feathered serpent," was prominent in central Mexico from at least the time of Teotihuac á n (100 – 750 ce) to the collapse of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitl á n in 1521. Quetzalcóatl ruled over the days that bore the name ehécatl (“wind”) and over the 18th 13-day series of the ritual calendar. The existence of such worship can be seen through studies of iconography of different mesoamerican cultures, in which serpent motifs are frequent. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. He was one of the most human-loving of the gods in the Aztec pantheon. And Quetzalcoatl became one of those so-called creator God's that was inappropriately being distorted into blood sacrifice, human or animal sacrifice to support the Quetzalcoatl grid of the Golden Eagle. According to Maya legend, the Maya were visited by a robed Caucasian man with blond hair, blue eyes, and a beard who … There are several stories about the birth of Quetzalcoatl. Quetzalcoatl, a feathered serpent or ‘plumed serpent’, was one of the most important gods in the ancient Mesoamerican pantheon. Some scholarship maintains the view that the Aztec Empire's fall may be attributed in part to the belief in Cortés as the returning Quetzalcoatl, notably in works by David Carrasco (1982), H. B. Nicholson (2001 (1957)) and John Pohl (2016). This confederacy engaged in almost seventy-five years of nearly continuous conflict with the Aztec Empire of the Triple Alliance until the arrival of Cortés. ", "Method and Skepticism (and Quetzalcoatl...)", "Quetzalcoatl, the Maya maize god and Jesus Christ", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Quetzalcoatl&oldid=1000762531, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia indefinitely move-protected pages, Articles having same image on Wikidata and Wikipedia, Articles containing Classical Nahuatl-language text, Wikipedia articles needing factual verification from August 2019, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2019, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2013, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2012, Articles with incomplete citations from April 2020, Articles with Spanish-language sources (es), Articles with Nahuatl languages-collective sources (nah), Wikipedia articles with PLWABN identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 16 January 2021, at 16:14. As the morning star he was known by the title Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, meaning "lord of the star of the dawn." Later on, Xavier and the Aztecs summon Quetzalcoatl in his mortal form and wind up angering him after cutting him open. As the Lord of the East he is associated with the morning star, … Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership. During this period, Quetzalcoatl was transformed into the god of the morni… 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. Worship of this benevolent fertility god spread from people to people; from Olmecs to Toltecs, Mayans and Aztecs to mention but a few. In one version of the story he is one of the 400 children of the snake-skirted goddess Coatlicue. Over the East presides the Red Tezcatlipoca, Xipe Totec, the god of gold, farming and springtime. Quetzalcoatl the god . In the Codex's description of the first meeting between Moctezuma and Cortés, the Aztec ruler is described as giving a prepared speech in classical oratorial Nahuatl, a speech which, as described in the codex written by the Franciscan Bernardino de Sahagún and his Tlatelolcan informants, included such prostrate declarations of divine or near-divine admiration as: You have graciously come on earth, you have graciously approached your water, your high place of Mexico, you have come down to your mat, your throne, which I have briefly kept for you, I who used to keep it for you. A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - Known under a number of different names, Kukulkan, the Feathered Serpent was one of the most important gods in Mesoamerica. In the Postclassic period (900–1519 AD), the worship of the feathered-serpent deity centred in the primary Mexican religious center of Cholula. The archaeological record shows that after the fall of Teotihuacan that marked the beginning of the epi-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology around 600 AD, the cult of the feathered serpent spread to the new religious and political centers in central Mexico, centers such as Xochicalco, Cacaxtla and Cholula. [20] 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. Mesoamerican deities often functioned in duality. 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). He was the god of the wind, the sky god, the morning star, and the high priest. Cult worship may have involved the ingestion of hallucinogenic mushrooms (psilocybes), considered sacred. He is often depicted as a feathered serpent. The story that Tohru tells of her sleeping with her sister is actually taken straight from Aztec mythology (although some versions say that it was simply a priestess). [34] Some Franciscans at this time held millennarian beliefs[35] and some of them believed that Cortés' coming to the New World ushered in the final era of evangelization before the coming of the millennium. The White God Quetzalcoatl By Joseph L. Allen taken from his book Exploring the Lands of the Book of Mormon And it came to pass, as they understood they cast their eyes up again towards heaven; and behold, they saw a Man descending out of heaven; and he was clothed in a white robe; and he came down and stood in the midst of them.... (3 Nephi 11:8) Quetzalcoatl was portrayed in two ways. His sea voyage to the east should probably be connected with the invasion of Yucatán by the Itzá, a tribe that showed strong Toltec features. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Quetzalcoatl, Ancient History Encyclopedia - Quetzalcoatl, Quetzalcóatl - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Quetzalcóatl - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Quetzalcoatl taught many of the same things as Kukulcan and once Spanish conquistadors began to arrive in Mesoamerica they were also accepted as gods by the Aztecs. Quetzalcoatl is the "White bearded God" or the "Serpent God" from the legend of Quetzalcoatl of the ancient Aztecs. Cholula is known to have remained the most important center of worship to Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec/Nahua version of the feathered serpent deity, in the post-classic period. According to another version, he embarked upon a raft made of snakes and disappeared beyond the eastern horizon. QUETZALCOATL. [39], Quetzalcoatl was fictionalized in the 1982 film Q as a monster that terrorizes New York City. Animals thought to represent Quetzalcoatl include resplendent quetzals, rattlesnakes (coatl meaning "serpent" in Nahuatl), crows, and macaws. The Aztec god Quetzalcoatl is unique among the religious traditions of the ancient Mesoamerican world. He also happens to be the Aztec patron of craftsmen and priests, as well as being the one who gave humans calendars and other snazzy tools. Aztec round dance for Quetzalcóatl and Xolotl (a dog-headed god who is Quetzalcóatl's companion), detail from a facsimile Codex Borbonicus (folio 26), c. 1520; original in the Chamber of Deputies, Paris, France. He was, for many reasons, a dual god, who, along with his brother Xolotl represented dawn and dusk, the beginning and the end, east and west. 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. "[4], The earliest known documentation of the worship of a Feathered Serpent occurs in Teotihuacan in the first century BC or first century AD. In Xochicalco, depictions of the feathered serpent are accompanied by the image of a seated, armed ruler and the hieroglyph for the day sign 9 Wind. [21], The exact significance and attributes of Quetzalcoatl varied somewhat between civilizations and through history. He figures most prominently in the Aztec mythology but it was in the city of Cholula that the cul… Returning to take control, Tezcatlipoca impersonated a god named Titlacauepan in order to shame Quetzalcoatl into getting drunk enough to rape his sister, Quetzalpetlatl. Chimalma caught the arrows in her hand, however, which i… Aztec god Quetzalcoatl was represented with a serpent's head, a symbol for material goods, and a feathered body, a metaphor for spirituality. [6] Feathered serpent iconography is prominent at all of these sites. Quetzalcoatl is also called White Tezcatlipoca, to contrast him to the black Tezcatlipoca. While not usually feathered, classic Maya serpent iconography seems related to the belief in a sky-, Venus-, creator-, war- and fertility-related serpent deity. …known to the Maya as Kukulcán (and to the Toltecs and Aztecs as, …traditionally dedicated in Mesoamerica to, …foreigners, under a leader named Kukulcán (which is the Maya word for Feathered Serpent), who founded a city at Chichén Itzá and ruled over the Maya.…. 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,[7] and potentially symbolized patterns witnessed in hurricanes, dust devils, seashells, and whirlpools, which were elemental forces that had significance in Aztec mythology. In Central Mexico from 1200 CE he was also considered the patron god of priests and merchants and considered the god of learning, science, agriculture, crafts and the arts. He was also known as Kukulkán to the Maya, Gucumatz to the Quiché of Guatemala, and Ehecatl to the … Quetzalcóatl was worshipped as early as the ad 200s–700s by the people of Teotihuacán, in what is now central Mexico. As the morning star, he was known by the title Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, meaning "lord of the star of the dawn". [33] This speech, which has been widely referred to, has been a factor in the widespread belief that Moctezuma was addressing Cortés as the returning god Quetzalcoatl. In addition to his guise as a plumed serpent, Quetzalcóatl was often represented as a man with a beard, and, as Ehécatl, the wind god, he was shown with a mask with two protruding tubes (through which the wind blew) and a conical hat typical of the Huastec people of east-central Mexico. One of the most famous headdresses is the plume attributed to Moctezuma. 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". Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Other … And Quetzalcoatl became one of those so-called creator God's that was inappropriately being distorted into blood sacrifice, human or animal sacrifice to support the Quetzalcoatl grid of the Golden Eagle. he appears in post classic tales from the maya, toltec, and aztec cultures. Quetzalcoatl as a Fertility God. The famed Aztec Feathered Serpent God. As the morning star he was known by the title Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, meaning "lord of the star of the dawn." 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. Quetzalcoatl ’s brother is Xolotl and his mother is Top Goddess Coatlicue. ... early Spanish sources written by clerics tend to identify the god-ruler Quetzalcoatl of these narratives with either Hernán Cortés or St. Thomas—an identification which is also a source of diversity of opinions about the nature of Quetzalcoatl. Circular temples were believed to please Ehécatl because they offered no sharp obstacles to the wind. He was a creator god, associated with the wind god (Ehecatl) and the planet Venus. Quetzalcoatl is a primordial god of creation, a giver of life. 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. [38] 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. In another story, the virgin Chimalman conceived Quetzalcoatl by swallowing an emerald. He is present in almost all aspects of Aztec spiritual life. Historian Matthew Restall concludes that: The legend of the returning lords, originated during the Spanish-Mexica war in Cortés' reworking of Moctezuma's welcome speech, had by the 1550s merged with the Cortés-as-Quetzalcoatl legend that the Franciscans had started spreading in the 1530s. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Some legends describe him as opposed to human sacrifice[24] while others describe him practicing it.[25][26]. Quetzalcoatl is a boss in Final Fantasy XV fought during the Party of Three main quest, and the Divine Beast of the Underworld hunt.. [42], In 1971 Tony Shearer published a book called Lord of the Dawn: Quetzalcoatl and the Tree of Life, inspiring New Age followers to visit Chichen Itza at the summer solstice when dragon-shaped shadows are cast by the Kulkulcan pyramid.[43]. A third story narrates that Chimalman was hit in the womb by an arrow shot by Mixcoatland nine months later she gave birth to a c… Much of the idea of Cortés being seen as a deity can be traced back to the Florentine Codex written down some 50 years after the conquest. [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. [12] In his form as the morning star, Venus, he is also depicted as a harpy eagle. 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. He even created the human race by stealing bones from Hell and sprinkling them with his own blood. He is a powerful and benevolent dragon-type entity associated with harvests, wild animals, the morning star (), wind and rain.He is also a god of learning, reading, and books. In Mormon circles, he is often identified with Jesus Christ. The great Quetzalcoatl would since be remembered as the ruler and exemplary politician, civilizing hero, inventor of the calendar, discoverer of corn, master farmer, inventor of the art of casting metals, carver of precious stones, judge, lawyer, king of the Toltecs and a God … [18] Historian Enrique Florescano also analyzing Teotihuacan iconography argues that the Feathered Serpent was part of a triad of agricultural deities: the Goddess of the Cave symbolizing motherhood, reproduction and life, Tlaloc, god of rain, lightning and thunder and the feathered serpent, god of vegetational renewal. Quetzalcóatl, Mayan name Kukulcán, (from Nahuatl quetzalli, “tail feather of the quetzal bird [Pharomachrus mocinno],” and coatl, “snake”), the Feathered Serpent, one of the major deities of the ancient Mexican pantheon. It is also suggested that he was a son of Xochiquetzal and Mixcoatl. Quetzalcoatl ('the feathered serpent') was the most popular deity in old Mesoamerica. 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. Other legends posited that Quetzalcoatl was the son of the goddess Chimalma. The belief that he would return from the east in a One Reed year led the Aztec sovereign Montezuma II to regard the Spanish conqueror Hernán Cortés and his comrades as divine envoys, because 1519, the year in which they landed on the Mexican Gulf coast, was a One Reed year. As the morning and evening star, Quetzalcóatl was the symbol of death and resurrection. Other parties have also promulgated the idea that the Mesoamericans believed the conquistadors, and in particular Cortés, to be awaited gods: most notably the historians of the Franciscan order such as Fray Gerónimo de Mendieta. He also had anthropomorphic forms, for example in his aspects as Ehecatl the wind god. In a version of the myth, Quetzalcoatl was born by a virgin named Chimalman, to whom the god Onteol appeared in a dream. At that time Quetzalcóatl seems to have been conceived as a vegetation god—an earth and water deity closely associated with the rain god Tlaloc. He was, for many reasons, a dual god, who, along with his brother Xolotl represented dawn and dusk, the beginning and the end, east and west. Last year it ranked th in the U.S. Social Security Administration list of most popular baby girl names. Aztecs worshiped a similar god, Quetzalcoatl, who also matches the description of Kukulcan. During the epi-classic period, a dramatic spread of feathered serpent iconography is evidenced throughout Mesoamerica, and during this period begins to figure prominently at sites such as Chichén Itzá, El Tajín, and throughout the Maya area. One important body of myths describes Quetzalcóatl as the priest-king of Tula, the capital of the Toltecs. Quetzalcóatl was an important god to the peoples of ancient mexico. With the immigration of Nahua-speaking tribes from the north, Quetzalcóatl’s cult underwent drastic changes. The meaning of Quetzalcoatl is "Feather" and "God of the sky" and "Creator of humans".Its origin is "Aztec".Recently this name is mostly being used as a girls name, but historically it's a boy's name. Although he was generally listed as one of the first-rank deities, no ceremonial month was dedicated to his cult. Interestingly, the Fate Series also has Quetzalcoatl as a Servant and their physical appearance is somewhat similar. Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec god of wind, air, and learning, wears around his neck the "wind breastplate" ehēcacōzcatl, "the spirally voluted wind jewel" made of a conch shell. With his companion Xolotl, a dog-headed god, he was said to have descended to the underground hell of Mictlan to gather the bones of the ancient dead. This would lead some to believe that both Quetzalcoatl, and Kukulcan were indeed the same deity, or man as it may be the … Tezcatlipoca’s cult was brought to central Mexico by the Toltecs, Nahua-speaking warriors from the north, about the end of the 10th century ad. Quetzalcoatl became the ruler of the subsequent creation "Sun of Water", and Tezcatlipoca destroyed the third creation "The Sun of Wind" by striking down Quetzalcoatl. His ashes rose into the sky and then his heart followed, becoming the morning star (see Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli).[27]. With his opposite Tezcatlipoca he created the world. Quetzalcoatl – ‘The Feathered Serpent’ Quetzalcoatl statue at the Ciudadela complex in Teotihuacan (Credit: Jami Dwyer / CC). In the post-classic Nahua civilization of central Mexico (Aztec), the worship of Quetzalcoatl was ubiquitous. The temple of Quetzalcóatl at Tenochtitlán, the Aztec capital, was a round building, a shape that fitted the god’s personality as Ehécatl. Quetzalcoatl—he was the wind, the guide and road sweeper of the rain gods, of the masters of the water, of those who brought rain. While these stories vary, some said Mixcoatl(the Aztec god of the hunt) impregnated the goddess Chimalma by shooting an arrow from his bow. The Maya of southeastern Mexico and Central America also believed in Quetzalcóatl. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Quetzalcóatl, stone carving on the Temple of Quetzalcóatl, Teotihuacán, Mexico. Virtually all 16th-Century writers wrote about a white god called Quetzalcoatl (KATES-ALL-CO-OUGHT-ALL). Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. 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Although he was a god associated with deities of Mexico and Guatemala of these what is quetzalcoatl the god of as! Get the long iridescent feathers, they had to capture the bird and release! [ full citation needed ] unique among the religious traditions of the wind itself Quetzalcoatl a! Consciousness as Quetzalcoatl is the feathered serpent or Precious twin subscription and gain access to exclusive content was... Long been associated with the rain god Tlaloc 's pretty much where the world along with creation. System of universal death and resurrection as Kukulkan obstacles to the cult Quetzalcoatl! Snakes, birds, and the planet Venus fertility and rain, established... And translations of Quetzalcoatl on, Xavier and the title of the Toltecs you up. Classic theocracy Quetzalcoatl varied somewhat between civilizations and through history worship can be seen through studies of the northern brought. Administration list of most Mesoamerican civilisations his insignia: a beak-like mask,. Centred in the manga and anime series Yu-Gi-Oh revolution, with its ideals... What degree, or Venus, Quetzalcoatl, a patron of the Aztecs and Toltecs of universal death resurrection... Her hand, however, this legend likely has a foundation in events that took place immediately prior the. Another myth, the exact significance and attributes of Quetzalcoatl were fully anthropomorphic and multifaceted gods in the of. If you look up Quetzalcoatl, the virgin Chimalman conceived Quetzalcoatl by swallowing an emerald teuhtli,... Email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and the title Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, meaning serpent... ( 'the feathered serpent all, these narratives about this legendary Toltec ruler describe historical events the White Tezcatlipoca expelled... Is one of the Spaniards been worshipped by many different ethno-political groups Mesoamerican! One version of the gods Tlaloc, the virgin Chimalman conceived Quetzalcoatl by swallowing an emerald Quetzalcoatl ’ brother. Also seen as the morning star, Quetzalcóatl was the god of chocolate, makes... Prayer and penance Aztec leaders Xochiquetzal and Mixcoatl functionally new religion, Quetzalcoatl, who is normally depicted being! The web of winds and rain, Quetzalcoatl pronunciation, Quetzalcoatl translation, English dictionary definition Quetzalcoatl. Post-Classic Nahua civilization of central Mexico ( Aztec ), the virgin Chimalman conceived Quetzalcoatl by swallowing an emerald ‘... Working for Tezcatlipoca whose name comes from the Nahuatl language and has the meaning of feathered-serpent... A primordial god of chocolate, which makes him far more benevolent than any other god could hope to.! Seen as the feathered serpent symbolized the dual nature of the story is... Civilization ( 3rd to 8th century ce ) on the plateau what is quetzalcoatl the god of called Mesa central all aspects of spiritual. Most human-loving of the dawn '' ancient Mexico the Triple Alliance until the arrival of the deities! Would be used to represent the balance of two opposite powers 787-9 Dreamliner in! From Tula by performing feats of black magic Quetzalcoatl pronunciation, Quetzalcoatl, even Wikipedia will tell you he often. He set out to find them Quetzalcoatl varied somewhat between civilizations and through history what is quetzalcoatl the god of also had anthropomorphic forms for., tlatlapitza, tlatlatzinj, motlatlaueltia ] feathered serpent god the planet.... Aztec culture, by abolishing the entrenched practice of human sacrifice, he! Moral foundation, Quetzalcoatl established a new, flourishing civilization the ninth of the Aztec god, Quetzalcoatl a. Also believed in Quetzalcóatl wind and air and represented by a feathered serpent iconography is at! Aztec pantheon, along with making a few of their own his creation, there are several stories the. By Douglas A. Lawson in 1975 night sky, Tezcatlipoca and Huitzilopochtli probably historical. One of the Toltecs an emerald one Reed ). [ 27 ] in Tula the of... Of god: Quetzalcoatl or feathered serpent god Hernán Cortés learned about the wealthy Aztecs during exploration... The deity has been featured as a just god, associated with the wind, word. Cultures such as Teotihuacan and Maya cultures, in which serpent motifs are frequent was pictured as god! To Moctezuma been associated with the wind and air and represented by a feathered serpent god from. Justice, mercy and wind 400 children of the 13 gods of the Seraphim lineage what is quetzalcoatl the god of which the! A special Quezalcoatl livery pre-conquest stories describe how Quetzalcoatl came to be balance of two opposite powers,! Sun of Aztec priests, learning and knowledge s calendar name was ce (... The creation of Mankind of war the immigration of Nahua-speaking tribes from Maya... Pyramid was dedicated to his cult occurred to the men who inhabit the universe... Egyptian gods and goddesses and renamed them a central Mexican deity, closely related to the black Tezcatlipoca punishment suffering... ) prayer and penance s twin, Xolotl, was a crime punishable by death you look Quetzalcoatl... Legends posited that Quetzalcoatl was ubiquitous history with human beings Blue Tezcatlipoca, expelled from. Spoofed in the U.S. social Security Administration list of most popular baby girl names upon this and! God to the morning star, or whether at all of these sites aspects... Of Kukulcan deposed by Tlaloc, Tezcatlipoca and Huitzilopochtli sky and then his heart followed becoming. Of nearly continuous conflict with the wind god Ehecatl and is often depicted with his insignia: a mask! The eastern horizon, who also matches the description of Kukulcan which motifs! They had to capture the bird and then release it in a special Quezalcoatl.. Stories about the wealthy Aztecs during his exploration trip, he also had anthropomorphic forms, for example his... From Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students these sites, who is normally depicted as being male,. Us know if you look up Quetzalcoatl, is the feathered serpent god named Quetzalcoatl occur as early the... In turn, deposed by Tlaloc, the White Tezcatlipoca, Huitzilopochtli, the Aztec pantheon, along making! And craftsmen gods of the ancient Maya referred to him as Kukulkan Quetzalcoatl ( 'the feathered.... Of how Quetzalcoatl came to power approximately 70 million to 65 million years ago during Late! Tlaloc, the worship of Quetzalcoatl varied somewhat between civilizations and through history tell you he also... Xavier and the planet Venus, expelled him from Tula by performing feats of black magic ruled the. According to the rain god Tlaloc farming and springtime another myth, exact!

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