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. An architectural sculpture from Teotihuacan of Quetzalcoatl, the Plumed-Serpent god of Mesoamerican religion and mythology. Let your friend be your guide in Quetzalcoatl's space. The first people were Cipactonal, a man, and Oxomuco, a woman. Quetzalcoatl said that the heavens and the stars had already warned him that after four years he must leave, and he would therefore obey. The conflict between the two cultures is told in W. H. Prescotts The History of the Conquest of Mexico and in the novels The Fair God by Lew Wallace and Captain from Castile by Samuel Shellabarger, which was made into a film. info)), in honorific form: Quetzalctzin) is a deity in Aztec culture and literature whose name comes from the Nahuatl language and means "Precious serpent" or "Quetzal-feathered Serpent". You have troubled yourself much. He was a patron of many crafts such as writing, and metal and stone work and represented workers of these crafts. What is this, my flesh, that you would show me? My lord and priest, replied Tezcatlipoca, I come from the mountainside of Nonoalco. The half sun created by Quetzalcoatl and Huitzilopochtli was a poor light for the world, and the four brothers came together to find a Illustration. 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. [11] In Mazatec legends the astrologer deity Tlahuizcalpanteuctli, who is also represented by Venus, bears a close relationship with Quetzalcoatl. Quetzalcatl became the god of the morning and evening star, and his temple was the centre of ceremonial life in Tula. Physical offerings include copal incense, feathers, Mexican chocolate, and shells. Well might they flee from me. "[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. [14] Feathered-serpent iconography is prominent at all of these sites. You can see from the mural pictured here (pic 1) that he was represented in Cacaxtla (east of Mexico City) around 600 AD and Teotihuacan around 200 AD (pic 2). His sea voyage to the east should probably be connected with the invasion of Yucatn by the Itz, a tribe that showed strong Toltec features. In Xochicalco, depictions of the feathered serpent accompany the image of a seated, armed ruler and the hieroglyph for the day sign 9 Wind. [10] In his form as the morning star, Venus, he is also depicted as a harpy eagle. 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. Sign up free 0:00 0:00 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,[8] and potentially symbolized patterns witnessed in hurricanes, dust devils, seashells, and whirlpools, which were elemental forces that had significance in Aztec mythology. A stunning reconstruction of an Aztec headdress, The sunflower - one of Mexicos gifts to the world, The ancient Voladores ceremony is still performed today, In Aztec poetry warriors die - to return again and again, Read a lovely story about Aztec companion spirits, Molluscs were both useful and symbolic in the Mexica empire, An Aztec stone jaguar head lurks in Mexico City, Theres only one Aztec drawing of the (fig) paper tree. 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. [22], To the Aztecs, Quetzalcoatl was, as his name indicates, a feathered serpent. 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. It has been suggested that these stories recall the spread of the feathered-serpent cult in the epi-classic and early post-classic periods.[14]. yourself as you are seen by others. And with that he handed him the mirror. When the right moment came, Tezcatlipoca appeared in his tiger form and gave Quetzalcoatl such a blow with his paw that it hurled him from the skies. Containing a round temple dedicated to the cult of Quetzalcoatl-Ehcatl, Cholula was considered a pilgrimage destination across Central Mexico. He was then admitted into the presence of Quetzalcoatl. The Quetzalcoatl of that myth is a god. When Spanish conquistador Hernn Corts arrived in the 16th century, the Aztecs believed that their hero had returned to them as he had promised, a belief that helped seal their doom. wildwoods grill food truck menu Quetzalcoatl slithers along the border. Quetzalcoatl Fact FileInterests: Saving the world (or making it), preserving life, cultivating knowledge and recognising beauty.Day Sign: WindTrecena (13 day week): 1 Jaguar. Ce Acatl Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl, the Priest, Quetzalcoatl-Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, the Morning Star. Quetzalcoatl was considered important in the pantheon of Aztec gods. Although often described as an Aztec deity, Quetzalcoatl predates the Aztecs in the Valley of Mexico by centuries. 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. First they made fire, then half a sun, the heavens, the waters, and a great fish called Cipactli; from Cipactlis flesh they made the solid earth. The subsequent Toltec culture (9th through 12th centuries), centred at the city of Tula, emphasized war and human sacrifice linked with the worship of heavenly bodies. The forehead he colored yellow, and, taking the feathers of the quetzal bird, he made a beard. In his guise as Ehecatl-Quetzlcoatl, Lord of the Winds, he values the breath and air. Since 1200 CE in Central Mexico, he was considered the god of learning, agriculture, science, and arts. He also had anthropomorphic forms, for example in his aspects as Ehecatl the wind god. No credit card needed. Among the Aztecs, whose beliefs are the best-documented in the historical sources, Quetzalcoatl was related to gods of the wind, of the planet Venus, of the dawn, of merchants and of arts, crafts and knowledge. [41] However, in 1892 one president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, John Taylor, wrote:[42]. 07v(Click on image to enlarge), Pic 8: Quetzalcoatl (left) and Tezcatlipoca in one of a two-page binding together of the lunar and solar calendars. No circulation issues were produced in 1983. According to Toltec myth, Quetzalcoatl with his brother Tezcatlipocahis sometime partner, rival, and alter egocreated this world. After the Fourth Age was destroyed by floods, Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca helped Cihuacoatl create a brand-new Earth. A Shakespearean sonnet v a Nahua song-poem No-one surpassed the Mixtecs in the applied arts, Short introduction to Mexica/Aztec religion, Do you know the names of all the Aztec gods?, What happened to the Aztec gods after the Conquest? But what were his monster-killing, sky-lifting and star-forming capacities in the face of his sneaky brother Tezcatlipoca? [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]. Then Tezcatlipoca took the strong pulque he had brewed and gave some to Quetzalcoatl, who became drunk. Over the South presides the Blue Tezcatlipoca, Huitzilopochtli, the god of war. Quetzalcoatl was shocked at his appearance: truly he did not look well. -To Ehcatl-Quetzalcoatl, you may offer your breath and a melody, remember that as being the life giver he carries your breath and anything that may come forth from your lungs and heart. You have troubled yourself much. As the morning and evening star, Quetzalcatl was the symbol of death and resurrection. [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]. It is not clear whether Quetzalcoatl slept with his sister in the myth, but the next morning he said, I have sinned, the stain on my name can never be erased. Tezcatlipoca, force of chaos, arrived to shake things up. 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. Over the East presides the Red Tezcatlipoca, Xipe Totec, the god of gold, farming and springtime. phasmophobia alternative ports setting; fbi files miami shootout Considered by some to be Quetzalcoatls double, assistant or twin, Xolotl aided Quetzalcoatl when he descended to the Mictlan to recover the bones of humankind. Mexico's flagship airline Aeromxico has a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner painted in a special Quetzalcoatl livery. Welcome, youth. They decided to make a sun, one that would eat the hearts and drink the blood of victims, and there must be wars upon the earth, that these victims could be obtained for the sacrifice. Quetzalcoatl then built a great fire and took his son, born of his own flesh without any mother, and cast him into the flames, whence he rose into the sky as the sun which lights the world. Tlaloc then threw his son into the flames, creating the moon. In Aztec times (14th through 16th centuries) Quetzalcatl was revered as the patron of priests, the inventor of the calendar and of books, and the protector of goldsmiths and other craftsmen; he was also identified with the planet Venus. Your email address will not be published. When Spanish conquistador Hernn Corts arrived in the 16th century, the Aztecs believed that their hero had returned to them as he had promised, a belief that helped seal their doom. Guises: Ehcatl (Wind) / Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli (Venus), Xolotl (the dog twin or double of Quetzalcoatl), and the mythical human priest, Ce Acatl Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl.Emblem: A half-conch, symbol of creation.Active: The Feathered Serpent was represented as a deity in Mesoamerica from the Pre-classic period until the conquest in 1521.Favourite Colour: Blue and Black (Ehcatl) or Red and White pinstripe (Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli). In his form as Ehecatl he is the wind, and is represented by spider monkeys, ducks, and the wind itself. Those bones he anointed with his own blood, giving birth to the men who inhabit the present universe. There is no question that the legend of Quetzalcoatl played a significant role in the colonial period. In the era following the 16th-century Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, a number of records conflated Quetzalcoatl with Ce Acatl Topiltzin, a ruler of the mythico-historic city of Tollan. He knew all thoughts and could see into the future. Welcome, youth. Cholula remained the most important center of worship of Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec/Nahua version of the feathered-serpent deity, in the post-classic period. Cholula was the center of his veneration and an important pilgrimage site. The significance of this combined name: quetzal (a beautiful feathered bird) and coatl (a serpent) revealed divinity. She instantly obeyed and, drinking some of the pulque, also became drunk. Look now at your flesh; know yourself; see 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. Let them build for me a habitation deep underground; let them bury my bright treasures in the earth; let them throw the gleaming gold and shining stone into the holy fountain where I take my daily bath. He then journeyed eastward to a place where the sky, land, and water met. 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