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. This constitutes the Late Pre-Classic Period of the Mayan civilization. (Restall 2001 p. 114)[full citation needed]. The worship of Quetzalcoatl sometimes included animal sacrifices, and in colonial traditions Quetzalcoatl was said to oppose human sacrifice. This, too, meant the end of the god Quetzalcoatl. While the inhabitants of Teotihuacan were the first ones to worship Quetzalcoatl, the Aztecs reinterpreted him over time. 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. In the codices, he was generally more human-like. The major worship of this god as Quetzalcoatl began in 700 . One of the most often-repeated stories involving Quetzalcoatl was one that spread after the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in Mexico. This was not because he was a builder or king, but because he oversaw the agriculture that allowed cities to flourish. The connection between Quetzalcoatl and the fall of the Aztec Empire may also have its roots in political events that predated the arrival of Corts and his army. The Aztecs, however, were only a small segment of the regions people. Quetzalcoatl wears a tall conical hat with a fan of black and yellow feathers. Among the Aztecs, it was related to wind, Venus, Sun, merchants, arts, crafts, knowledge, and learning. He is usually interpreted as the same god with a different regional name, and is therefore often referred to as Ehecatl-Quetzalcoatl. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Amazed by the grace and beauty of the birds, the snake decided his destiny was to fly like them. Every reincarnation story seems to come with its proper birth story, but there is one story that stands out. In the 16th century, Spaniards conquered the Aztec Empire. 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. Quetzalcoatl was many things: (1) a historical personage - a great priest-king and religious reformer who lived in approximately the tenth century A.D. Quetzelcoatl also appeared on (Season 3) of the Animal Planet mockumentary Lost Tapes in an episode entitled "Q the Serpent God". They kept the same gods but believed in a new story. While in his own story, this was not all too literal, his actions that followed were actually the literal interpretation of his promise. Whether Quetzalcoatl would return was out of the question. The cult even spread down into the Maya lands. Quetzalcoatl is a form of one of Mesoamericas most wide-spread images. The Nahuatl nouns compounded into the proper name "Quetzalcoatl" are: (in English, Spanish, and Nahuatl languages), Proposed Book of Mormon geographical setting, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Fate/Grand Order - Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia, The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, "Evidence of Mushroom Worship in Mesoamerica", "New Taxonomical and Ethnomycological Observations on, "All You Need To Know About The Ancient Aztec Gods and Goddesses", "Readings in Classical Nahuatl: The Death of Quetzalcoatl", "Gift of the Gods: Chocolate in the Aztec Empire", "The Complete New York City Horror Movie Marathon! Throughout Mesoamerican culture, they practiced human sacrifice and ritual cannibalism to placate this god. Two other gods represented by the planet Venus are Tlaloc (ally and the god of rain) and Xolotl (psychopomp and its twin). 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 also has red and green feathers around his head and back. Carrasco's work was revised in 2000, and the new edition provides a valuable overview of the controversy about Cortes and Quetzalcoatl. 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. [19] The most important center was Cholula, where the world's largest pyramid was dedicated to Quetzalcoatl-worship. This didnt help a lot to overcome their cruel intentions, however. Plumed serpents continued to be depicted in Central American cultures. Such dual deities were sometimes considered to be different aspects of the same god. Quetzalcoatl was so closely linked to fertility and creation that many groups held him to be the creator of mankind. The meaning of his name is "Winged Serpent" or "Feathered Serpent". Toltec religion. Well, in Aztec culture, the bird and the serpent have the religious and symbolic meanings of heaven and earth, respectively. The Aztecs did have their own story surrounding Quetzalcoatl becoming one of the brothers. His job was to protect the sun from the dangers of the underworld. However, each and every god had failed terribly in doing so. In yet another version, Quetzalcoatl is said to be one of the four sons of Ometecuhtli and Omecihuatl. [30], He is also attributed with having brought the cacao plant from a sacred mountain to the Toltec people, teaching the women how to make traditional drinking chocolate.[31]. Some scholarship maintains the view that the Aztec Empire's fall may be attributed in part to the belief in Corts as the returning Quetzalcoatl, notably in works by David Carrasco (1982), H. B. Nicholson (2001 (1957)) and John Pohl (2016). He was so important that the worlds largest pyramid was just one of many places dedicated to his cult. But also, his role and what he represented changed during every installment of his being.Divine messengers would talk with the god, asking for assistance in reaching the other side of the mountain: the location of the corn. Ruler of the, Nicholson 2001, Carrasco 1982, Gillespie 1989, Florescano 2002, Lafaye 1987, Townsend 2003, Martnez 1980, Phelan 1970. Some said that before this he had helped to create the world itself. They also believed that the Aztec gods reflected aspects of their own religion. The eclipse that was caused by the birth of Quetzalcoatl is believed to be the fifth eclipse to ever happen. Quetzalcoatl appears in many ancient Mesoamerican codices, sculptures and reliefs. 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. Quetzalcoatl stole the bones from the Underworld, taking great risks and evading many traps to bring them to the surface. In the post-classic Nahua civilization of central Mexico (Aztec), the worship of Quetzalcoatl was ubiquitous. It really elevated the status of the Feathered Serpent to the protector of the people, which is also affirmed by his role as patron god. It is said that he is called the god of wind, spirit of rain, the god of culture, and the . 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. Quetzalcoatl was also the patron of the priests and the title of the twin Aztec high priests. 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. This, too, can be seen in the birth of Quetzalcoatl. This is also evident in the duality of serpent figures throughout Mesopotamian history. 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. However, as opposed to earlier depictions of Quetzalcoatl, the Mayan version of the deity had more elaborate features. The Origin of Hotdogs, The History of Boracay Island in The Philippines. [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]. Quetzalcoatl was not only one of the most important deities in pre-Columbian Mexico, he was also one of the oldest. In fact, he wanted to tempt him to come out into the light. There, they greatly influenced late Mayan culture. In another, they worked together to tear apart a monster called Tlaltcuhtli and create the land and its features from her body. In these instances, he is often seen wearing a lot of jewelry and some form of a hat. How should one worship the sun? When Cortes and his crew of Spaniards came ashore in Mexico in 1519, many thought they were gods. [10], The earliest known documentation of the worship of a Feathered Serpent occurs in Teotihuacan in the first century BC or first century AD. Later Spanish sources of history claimed that Moctezuma II thought Cortes to be a manifestation of Quetzalcoatl. Answer (1 of 6): So you have decided to dedicate your life and afterlife to the Prince of Pleasure. 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. [45][46] The deity has been featured as a character in the manga and anime series Yu-Gi-Oh! [44], Quetzalcoatl was fictionalized in the 1982 film Q as a monster that terrorizes New York City. Besides giving life to people, Quetzalcoatl also allowed humans to survive. Mainly because they thought one of them was the reincarnation of the beloved god discussed in this article. But even things of an extremely mundane nature like s. The invaders looked an awful lot like these late depictions. [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]. ThoughtCo. The south is represented by Huitzilopochtli who is the Blue Tezcatlipoca and the god of war. At the end of the fourth cycle, when mankind had perished again according to the mythology, Quetzalcoatl created a new people with his blood. The worship of Quetzalcoatl is wide-reaching, has a rich history, and exemplifies the complex world of Aztec mythology. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. Ultimately, Quetzalcoatl was forced into exile. It was also the patron god of the Aztec priesthood. Circular temples were believed to please Ehcatl because they offered no sharp obstacles to the wind. (Many academics conclude this passage implies incest.) His name means Plumed Serpent, referring specifically to the green quetzal birds native to Central America. 1. Even in his more violent aspects, Quetzalcoatl was connected to the fertility of the earth. Hernn Corts, perhaps the most notorious colonizer, is often identified as this very reincarnation of Quetzalcoatl. The floods, too, caused great disaster to the earth in general. During the epi-classic period, a dramatic spread of feathered serpent iconography is evidenced throughout Mesoamerica, and during this period images begin to figure prominently at sites such as Chichn Itz, El Tajn, and throughout the Maya area. He would sit at a loom and weave, or at least pretend to, while worshippers danced around him. In the underworld, Quetzalcoatl went all the way to Mictln; the lowest region of the Aztec underworld. (2020, August 28). [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. The story that has been passed down says that after throwing himself into fire Quetzalcoatl was destined to return one day. Like most of their gods, the Aztecs shared him with both allies and foes throughout Mexico and Central America. Red and green feathers around his head and back underworld, taking great risks evading... 45 ] [ 46 ] the most important center was Cholula, where the world 's largest was. ): so you have decided to dedicate your life and afterlife to the fertility of Aztec. 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