[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. By the 3rd century AD this was recognizable as a god, who had a pyramid dedicated to his honor in the city of Teotihuacn. In yet another version, Quetzalcoatl is said to be one of the four sons of Ometecuhtli and Omecihuatl. After Topiltzin's exile, Toltec power began to decline. 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. Each age of the world was given a new sun, and the world was on its Fifth Sun, having been destroyed four times previously. 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. 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. What a conundrum. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Quetzalcoatl's opposite was Tezcatlipoca, who supposedly sent Quetzalcoatl into exile. Quetzalcoatl became linked with the maize crop thanks to ancient legends. Quetzalcoatl wears a tall conical hat with a fan of black and yellow feathers. The most astonishing aspect of their worship, at least to the Spaniards, was their habit of human sacrifice . The concept of duality, therefore, meant Quetzalcoatl was associated with life. Have you ever eaten blue, white, black, or red corn? One of the supreme existences in North and Central America WP as well as in Aztec Mythology WP. Temple of Ehcatl-Quetzalcoatl. It is, indeed, probable that the sole reason why Quetzalcoatl remained so important was because of his worship in earlier empires. In the post-classic Nahua civilization of central Mexico (Aztec), the worship of Quetzalcoatl was ubiquitous. Remember, he has already been deemed a god. One day, Quetzalcoatls twin brother would coerce him into drinking pulque, a classic Mexican alcoholic beverage still served to this day. [47], 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.[48]. 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. If this speech was actually given, its likely that ignorance of Aztec customs and Nahuatl speech patterns was to blame for giving the impression that Montezuma was willingly handing over power to a divine being. By Quetzalcoatl was a god for many ancient . Standing over ten feet tall, the statue towers over onlookers as she leans toward them. 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. Although probably not exactly a depiction of the same feathered-serpent deity worshipped in classic and post-classic periods, it shows the continuity of symbolism of feathered snakes in Mesoamerica from the formative period and on, for example in comparison to the Maya Vision Serpent shown below. Some legends describe him as opposed to human sacrifice[26] while others describe him practicing it.[27][28]. The first rays of light impressed the snake, making him marvel at the world around him. He was so important that the worlds largest pyramid was just one of many places dedicated to his cult. He also had anthropomorphic forms, for example in his aspects as Ehecatl the wind god. The invaders looked an awful lot like these late depictions. There is no question that the legend of Quetzalcoatl played a significant role in the colonial period. This article is about a Mesoamerican deity. Some Mesoamericans believed that as part of the creation of the world he had given people maize, making him an important agricultural god. [14], The name Quetzalcoatl comes from the Nahuatl language and means "Precious serpent" or "Quetzal-feathered Serpent". [44], Quetzalcoatl was fictionalized in the 1982 film Q as a monster that terrorizes New York City. [45][46] The deity has been featured as a character in the manga and anime series Yu-Gi-Oh! The worlds largest pyramid, Tlachihualtepetl, was dedicated to Quetzalcoatl and was built up at the site over a period of a thousand years. Feathered serpents appear as early as 900 BC in parts of Mexico. Quetzalcoatl, or "Feathered Serpent," was an important god to the ancient people of Mesoamerica. The temple can be found at Teotihuacan and was erected in the third century. Round monuments occur particularly often in Huastec territory. Therefore, deities that were related to the more violent realms also became more important. Different Mesoamerican groups had their own legends about Quetzalcoatl and placed emphasis on different domains. In the underworld, Quetzalcoatl went all the way to Mictln; the lowest region of the Aztec underworld. The following morning, he ordered his servants to build him a stone coffin. The worship of Miclantecuhtli was ongoing with the arrival of Europeans in the Americas. The Nahua largely spoke dialects of the same language, Nahuatl, which helped to unify their culture. The four suns before Quetzalcoatl had been destroyed by disastrous events, like floods, fires, and volcanic eruptions. 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. Tlaloc blew the snake into the air, to a point where he was higher than the birds. In the iconography of the classic period, Maya serpent imagery is also prevalent: a snake often appears as the embodiment of the sky itself, and a vision serpent is a shamanic helper presenting Maya kings with visions of the underworld. The Aztecs believed that they lived in the fifth age of creation and that Quetzalcoatl had gone to the Underworld to retrieve the bones of previous generations to create the modern race of man. The ancient Olmec civilization lasted roughly from 1200 to 400 B.C. Some Franciscan monks claimed that the people of Mexico had been evangelized before, possibly by Thomas the Apostle who was said to have traveled beyond the Ganges to preach the gospel. (2020, August 28). The Toltecs greatly venerated Quetzalcoatl at their capital of Tula, and other major cities at the time also worshiped the feathered serpent. His form of reincarnation, more specifically, would be that of a white person with a long beard. 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. Ququmatz Also written as Gukumatz, this name belonged to the Kiche Maya. 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.. After the second sun, Tezcatlipoca turned all of the people into monkeys, which displeased Quetzalcoatl, who caused the monkeys to be blown away by a hurricane. The gods powers extended beyond the wind, however. A famous Olmec stone carving, La Venta Monument 19, clearly shows a man seated in front of a feathered serpent. There are several stories about the birth of Quetzalcoatl. The worship of Quetzalcoatl sometimes included animal sacrifices, and in other traditions Quetzalcoatl was said to oppose human sacrifice. In Aztec language, his name indicated him to be a boundary between the Earth and the sky. 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. One of his most defining attributes, however, is his breastplate. Before he left, however, he promised to return. Of course, he was an ant, so moving from one side of the mountain to the other was a bit tougher than just flying there like a bird or slide-dancing there like a snake. Other than Teotihuacn, large worship places can be found in Xochicalco and Cacaxtla. (Many academics conclude this passage implies incest.) The worship of Quetzalcoatl became widespread with the rise of the Toltec civilization around 900 A.D. and spread throughout the region, even down to the Yucatan peninsula where it caught on with the Maya. Minster, Christopher. To these people, who continued to work with the Spanish to expand their territory, the arrival of Corts did lead to the return of Quetzalcoatl. The Teotihuacan iconographical depictions are often interpreted as a version where Quetzalcoatl played the role of a fertility-related serpent deity. Several of the peoples of Eastern Mexico united with Corts in the belief that he would help them overthrow the Aztecs. Minster, Christopher. His job was to protect the sun from the dangers of the underworld. It allows for a form of food security, and therefore for peace, and as a result, has taken on not only physical and economic importance but spiritual significance as well. So Quetzalcoatl is named after the thing he looks like, a feathered serpent deity. [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. But had Montezuma struck quickly at these intruders as they were marching inland, he likely could have defeated them. All but one. Christopher Minster, Ph.D., is a professor at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito in Ecuador. To both Teotihuacan and Maya cultures, Venus was in turn also symbolically connected with warfare.[21]. Quetzalcoatl played many roles in ancient Aztec mythology, so its difficult to pin down just one. 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. Following the millenarian beliefs that were popular in much of European Christianity, they believed that the conquest of the New World was a vital step in bringing the return of Christ, which would follow major societal changes around the world. It has been suggested that these stories recall the spread of the feathered-serpent cult in the epi-classic and early post-classic periods.[12]. This, too, can be seen in the birth of Quetzalcoatl. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. Quetzalcoatl is thus not only an Aztec god. In fact, it is a deep cultural symbol that is intrinsic to daily life. Chichen Itza is famous for its Temple of Kukulcn, which was their name for Quetzalcoatl. Every reincarnation story seems to come with its proper birth story, but there is one story that stands out. 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. He used his own blood from wounds he inflicted on himself to give life to the bones and create mankind. This was not because he was a builder or king, but because he oversaw the agriculture that allowed cities to flourish. In this period the deity is known to have been named Quetzalchutl by his Nahua followers. According to Toltec and Maya accounts, Ce Acatl Topiltzn Quetzalcoatl lived in Tula for a while before a dispute with the warrior class over human sacrifice led to his departure. They kept the same gods but believed in a new story. So it should be clear that Quetzalcoatl was, indeed, a great mythical figure. If somebody like that appeared, it was agreed that the bearded figure would become the new king of the Aztec empire. The city of Cholula, in particular, was known for the importance it laid on the deity of the feathered serpent. A 2012 exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Dallas Museum of Art, "The Children of the Plumed Serpent: the Legacy of Quetzalcoatl in Ancient Mexico", demonstrated the existence of a powerful confederacy of Eastern Nahuas, Mixtecs and Zapotecs, along with the peoples they dominated throughout southern Mexico between 1200 and 1600 (Pohl, Fields, and Lyall 2012, Harvey 2012, Pohl 2003). 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". His body is usually black, a color that represents the north in Aztec art. Cholula had been captured by pro-Aztec forces. It starts with Tlaloc, the Aztec god of rain. The south is represented by Huitzilopochtli who is the Blue Tezcatlipoca and the god of war. Instead, these stories were probably the invention of Franciscan monks who followed the initial conquest of Mexico. The first one, Huitzilopochtli, was one of the Tezcatlipoca brothers and the embodiment of the expansion of the empire. [32][33][34][35][36] Most documents expounding this theory are of entirely Spanish origin, such as Corts's letters to Charles V of Spain, in which Corts goes to great pains to present the naive gullibility of the Aztecs in general as a great aid in the conquest of the Aztec Empire. After a slapstick-style chase scene, Xavier winds up as the Sun God and commits "sacricide" (sacrificial suicide), ending the skit. According to one version, Quetzalcoatl was born to a virgin called Chimalman to whom god Onteol appeared in a dream. 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. 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. 9 Facts About Quetzalcoatl. Actually, the Aztec god is often regarded as one of the most worshiped characters in the Aztec religion. And, it wasnt so bad after all. Cortes continued to play the role of Quetzalcoatl for many years and eventually impacted others to convert. Auh yn jquac molhuja eheca, mjtoa: teuhtli quaqualaca, ycoioca, tetecujca, tlatlaiooa, tlatlapitza, tlatlatzinj, motlatlaueltia. Nor would he be seen as the reincarnation of the Feathered Serpent god.Indeed, the Aztecs were quick to figure out the nature of the visit of the Spaniards. After the first sun, Quetzalcoatl attacked his brother with a stone club, which caused Tezcatlipoca to command that his jaguars eat all of the people. The image of a feathered serpent was often paired with one that represented war and destruction. 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. 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 Name Quetzalcoatl 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? [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). Incest is nothing new in mythology, but seducing a celibate priestess might be. Rather than showing subservience to the invading Spaniards, Montezumas claim that Corts was a gracious ruler was a way of asserting dominance and showing disdain for the Spanish commander. 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. This is what you have to look forward to- Initially, you will notice that you can find pleasure in new and sometimes bizarre places. Rather than the conquistador himself being the wind god, however, it was that his army allowed the Puebla and their allies to reclaim the pyramid of Tlachihualtepetl, the center of Quezalcoatls cult. The relation of Quetzalcoatl with just the latest sun is a result of the mingling of his earliest myths and some new perceptions. This made crops grow and brought water for drinking. 3. In the post-classic Nahua civilization of central Mexico (Aztec), the worship of Quetzalcoatl was ubiquitous. Mesoamerican deities often functioned in duality. ThoughtCo, Aug. 28, 2020, thoughtco.com/facts-about-quetzalcoatl-2136322. 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[ 21 ] ; the lowest region of the mingling of worship!, motlatlaueltia, like floods, fires, and in other traditions Quetzalcoatl was indeed! Seducing a celibate priestess might be left willingly on a raft of snakes, promising to return was with. The dangers of the underworld, Quetzalcoatl went all the way to ;... Job was to protect the sun from the dangers of the four sons of Ometecuhtli and..
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