So technically, any human form walking this earth contains a bit of Quetzalcoatl. In some versions of the ancient Mesoamerican histories, Quetzalcoatl was reborn as Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli after being burned on a funeral pyre. The first documented worship of Quetzalcoatl is found in Theotihuacan during the first century BC or first century AD. Rise early to appreciate the magnificence of her rising, and try to spend some time soaking up her warmth whenever you can. 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. They also believed that the Aztec gods reflected aspects of their own religion. He also had anthropomorphic forms, for example in his aspects as Ehecatl the wind god. He was quite a bit bigger than he was before. Minster, Christopher. The Nahua largely spoke dialects of the same language, Nahuatl, which helped to unify their culture. Quetzalcoatl was not only one of the most important deities in pre-Columbian Mexico, he was also one of the oldest. 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. [20] Historian Enrique Florescano - also analyzing Teotihuacan iconography - argues that the Feathered Serpent was part of a triad of agricultural deities: The feathered serpent was furthermore connected to the planet Venus because of this planet's importance as a sign of the beginning of the rainy season. 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. Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca may have been worshiped as early as 10,000 BC. The ancient Olmec civilization lasted roughly from 1200 to 400 B.C. [9] In Mazatec legends the astrologer deity Tlahuizcalpanteuctli, who is also represented by Venus, bears a close relationship with Quetzalcoatl. Of these, Quetzalcoatl was the Sun in the second cycle. [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. At Cholula, however, the gods cult is most evident. Amazed by the grace and beauty of the birds, the snake decided his destiny was to fly like them. 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 association of the name with kingship led colonial Spaniards to believe that the Aztecs considered themselves to be descended from the god himself. He wore a red mask, however, with an elongated, duck-like mouth and long canine teeth. READ MORE: Water Gods and Sea Gods From Around the World. Franciscans then equated the original Quetzalcoatl with Thomas and imagined that the Indians had long-awaited his return to take part once again in God's kingdom. Welcome. Auh yn jquac molhuja eheca, mjtoa: teuhtli quaqualaca, ycoioca, tetecujca, tlatlaiooa, tlatlapitza, tlatlatzinj, motlatlaueltia. Feathered serpents appear as early as 900 BC in parts of Mexico. 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. 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. Quetzalcoatl is the creator of all people and the giver of wisdom, corn, and the calendar. In the modern era, however, many aspects of this legend have come into question. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Gods of Death likely used for curing rituals and private worship. 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. There, they greatly influenced late Mayan culture. He is further related to the gods of wind, with human sacrifice and to the morning star in the Aztec mythology. With great respect and awe. [10], The earliest known documentation of the worship of a Feathered Serpent occurs in Teotihuacan in the first century BC or first century AD. By Quetzalcoatl was a god for many ancient . But, remember, the promise of Quetzalcoatl was to bring heaven to the beings that were living in hell. The floods, too, caused great disaster to the earth in general. This was not because he was a builder or king, but because he oversaw the agriculture that allowed cities to flourish. In Mesoamerican history, many different ethnopolitical groups worshiped a feathered-serpent deity. The story of how the ordinary Quetzalcoatl became one of the heavenly brothers goes as followed. Quetzalcoatlhe was the wind, the guide and road sweeper of the rain gods, of the masters of the water, of those who brought rain. Mesoamerican deities often functioned in duality. The two priests came to their position after living an exemplary life, with pure and compassionate hearts. Occasionally, he is accompanied by his namesake quetzal bird. 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 new religious and political centers in central Mexico, centers such as Xochicalco, Cacaxtla and Cholula. [24] A fourth story narrates that Quetzalcoatl was born from Coatlicue, who already had four hundred children who formed the stars of the Milky Way. In Aztec language, his name indicated him to be a boundary between the Earth and the sky. Hernn Corts, perhaps the most notorious colonizer, is often identified as this very reincarnation of Quetzalcoatl. Later, Xavier and the Aztecs summon Quetzalcoatl in his mortal form and wind up angering him after cutting him open. In fact, the Feathered Serpent was the patron deity of the priests, meaning that he was supporting and protecting them. 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. It was not just a populist idea that gained interest in Aztec society. It has been theorised that the legend was created by mixing Moctezuma IIs welcome speech with a later Franciscan invention that related Cortes with Quetzalcoatl. As shown by his spiral jewel, Quetzalcoatl was a god of wind. 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. He was a creator deity having contributed essentially to the creation of mankind. Quetzalcoatl appears in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Thor: Love and Thunder. However, independent historical sources do not substantiate this claim and later historians have disputed it as well. Quetzalcoatl was a deity which was a part of the pantheon of most Mesoamerican civilisations. The trip was far from easy, but Quetzalcoatl was able to complete it. The first images of a similar feathered serpent date back to 900 BC, over two thousand years before the Aztecs came to dominate Central Mexico. After Topiltzin's exile, Toltec power began to decline. In fact, he flew straight into it, leading to a total eclipse. It is said that he is called the god of wind, spirit of rain, the god of culture, and the . From ancient snake gods to Spanish legends, heres everything you need to know about the most famous god of the Aztecs! As soon as the eclipse ended, he promised himself that he would bring the heavens to anyone who is living in hell. A young woman would be dressed as Xochiquetzal before being beheaded and flayed. Represented as the plumed serpent, Quetzalcoatl was also seen as manifest in the wind, one of the most powerful forces of nature; a text in the Nahuatl language captures this relationship: Quetzalcoatl; yn ehecatl ynteiacancauh yntlachpancauh in tlaloque, yn aoaque, yn qujqujiauhti. This betterment meant something different with every new installment, which explains why many Aztec deities are related to different realms. Later Spanish sources of history claimed that Moctezuma II thought Cortes to be a manifestation of Quetzalcoatl. There are several stories about the birth of Quetzalcoatl. After all, thats the process that he himself went through: from darkness to light. He used his own blood from wounds he inflicted on himself to give life to the bones and create mankind. He took his companion Xolotl, a dog-headed god, with him. The colonization of Mesoamerica, or rather Abya Yala, has severely impacted the area where Quetzalcoatl was worshiped. The title of the twin Aztec high priests wasnt just Quetzalcoatl. The first keeper of written records, he was patron of the Calmecac, a school for noble children who learned to paint histories and astrology, as well as practice the art of war. Quetzelcoatl also appeared on (Season 3) of the Animal Planet mockumentary Lost Tapes in an episode entitled "Q the Serpent God". Similar mythology was shared by many of the Aztecs neighbors as well as their ancestors. However, each and every god had failed terribly in doing so. Among Quetzacoatls most important roles was his function as a god of fertility. Quetzalcoatl is closely associated with the myth of the four cardinal directions. If your web page requires an HTML link, please insert this code: . Most, however, saw him as more than a wind god and instead as a major force in the creation and continuation of the world. Of these, Quetzalcoatl was the Sun in the second cycle. Quetzalcoatl stole the bones from the Underworld, taking great risks and evading many traps to bring them to the surface. Even today, however, Nahuatl is just one of sixty-three native languages recognized in Mexico. In the Codex's description of the first meeting between Moctezuma and Corts, 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 Sahagn 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. Montezuma king of the aztecs during the era had even confirmed that Cortes was Quetzalcoatl or a reincarnation of their deity. In mythology, he is a gentle god who loves peace, and it is said that he bestowed many blessings to the humans. The worship of Quetzalcoatl sometimes included animal sacrifices, and in other traditions Quetzalcoatl was said to oppose human sacrifice.. 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.. One noted Post-Classic Toltec ruler was named Quetzalcoatl; he may be the same . 2. For example, theSerpent iconography represents both the light of day and the darkness of night, the birth of life, and the fatality of death. ", "Method and Skepticism (and Quetzalcoatl)", "Quetzalcoatl, the Maya maize god and Jesus Christ", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Quetzalcoatl&oldid=1141156375, Supernatural beings identified with Christian saints, Articles containing Classical Nahuatl-language text, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles having different image on Wikidata and Wikipedia, Wikipedia articles needing factual verification from August 2019, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2019, Wikipedia articles needing factual verification from June 2021, All articles that may contain original research, Articles that may contain original research from June 2021, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2012, Articles with incomplete citations from April 2020, Articles with Spanish-language sources (es), Articles with sources in Nahuatl languages (nah), Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, White Tecatlipoca, Ce Acatl Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl, Feathered Serpent, Precious Twin, Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, Tlaloc, god of rain, lightning and thunder, the feathered serpent, god of vegetational renewal, This page was last edited on 23 February 2023, at 17:09. 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