Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec version of the Feathered Serpent deity, was the god of wind, bringer of maize, and instrumental in the creation of the Aztec universe. He was also the patron god of the Aztec priesthood, of learning and knowledge, patron of priests, the inventor of the calendar and of books, and the protector of goldsmiths and other craftsmen. While these stories vary, some said Mixcoatl(the Aztec god of the hunt) impregnated the goddess Chimalma by shooting an arrow from his bow. However, independent historical sources do not substantiate this claim and later historians have disputed it as well. These sources further claimed that it was because of this superstition that Moctezuma II invited Cortes as a guest and didn’t harm him or his soldiers. Quetzalcoatl was also linked with Aztec priesthood and one of the two high priests in the famous Templo Mayor of Tenochtitlan assumed the title of Quetzalcoatl. Quetzalcoatl, whose name means ‘feathered serpent’, was another main god of the Aztec and played a significant role in Aztec history. Quetzalcoatl was also related to gods of the wind, of Venus, of the dawn, of merchants and of arts, crafts and knowledge. © Copyright 2021 aztecsandtenochtitlan.com. Quetzalcóatl ruled over the days that bore the name ehécatl (“wind”) and over the 18th 13-day series of the ritual calendar. 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. Huitzilopochtli (pronounced Weetz-ee-loh-POSHT-lee) was the … According to this myth, the four sons of Ometecuhtli and Omecihuatl, one of them being Quetzalcoatl, represent the four cardinal directions. I decided to teach you a little bit of my culture..... Quetzalcoatl was a very important god in the aztec deitites.... sooo i hope you like it! This task was not quite as simple as it seemed as the god of the underw… This constitutes the Late Pre-Classic Period of the Mayan civilization. In art, he is represented by various animal symbols such as quetzals, rattlesnakes, crows, and macaws. Outside of Tenochtitlán, the main centre of Quetzalcóatl’s cult was Cholula, on the plateau region called Mesa Central. Updates? He is the 9th of the 13 Lords of the Day and is often associated with the rain god Tláloc. Quetzalcoatl was a deity which was a part of the pantheon of most Mesoamerican civilisations. Circular temples were believed to please Ehécatl because they offered no sharp obstacles to the wind. eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'aztecsandtenochtitlan_com-banner-1','ezslot_7',361,'0','0']));He is further related to the gods of wind, with human sacrifice and to the morning star in the Aztec mythology. Corrections? One such myth is that the Aztecs believed that Hernan Cortes, the leader of a band of conquistadors, was in fact a reincarnated deity by the name of Quetzalcoatl. Those bones he anointed with his own blood, giving birth to the men who inhabit the present universe. Quetzalcóatl became the god of the morning and evening star, and his temple was the centre of ceremonial life in Tula. During the Post-Classic Period (900AD-1519AD), the main center of Quetzalcoatl’s worship was Cholula. The name is a combination of quetzalli, a brightly colored Mesoamerican bird, and coatl, which means serpent; it is therefore usually translated as "feathered serpent" or "plumed serpent". In Aztec mythology he was the brother of Tezcatlipoca, Huizilopochtli and Xipe Totec. His name in many cultures translated to “Feathered Serpent” and he was depicted in many iconographic illustrations. Stone sculptures such as the Aztec Feathered Serpent were made by Aztec artisans, and were routinely used for display in the worship of the Aztec gods. Cortes landed in Mexico in 1519. Quetzalcoatl was related to gods of the wind, of Venus, of the dawn, of merchants and of arts, crafts and knowledge. Representations of a feathered snake occur as early as the Teotihuacán civilization (3rd to 8th century ce) on the central plateau. Amongst the tricks and difficult tasks Mictlantecuhtli set was to insist that Quetzalcoatl could only take the bones away with him if he went around the underworld four times blowing a conch-shell trumpet. Often he is also represented as spider monkeys, ducks, and other animals or beings of nature. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Quetzalcóatl’s defeat symbolized the downfall of the Classic theocracy. Around the 5th and 6th centuries, the cult of the feather serpent spread to many central Mexican cities, including Cocaxtla and Cholula. This is largely due to the story that the Aztec king welcomed Hernán Cortés, the Spanish conquistador, as the reincarnation of the god. 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 postclassic period. In yet another version, Quetzalcoatl is said to be one of the four sons of Ometecuhtli and Omecihuatl. Quetzalcoatl is the Aztec incarnation of the Feathered Serpent deity, known from several Aztec codices such as the Florentine codex, as well as from the records of the Spanish conquistadors. Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent. Other legends posited that Quetzalcoatl was the son of the goddess Chimalma. Quetzalcóatl (pronounced: ketsalˈkoːaːtɬ in Nahuatl) is an Aztec sky and creator god. 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. Huitzilopochtli, Father of the Aztecs. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. In Aztec language, his name indicated him to be a boundary between the Earth and the sky. The city of Cholula, in particular, was known for the importance it laid on the deity of the feathered serpent. There is also rich iconography, sculpture, and mythology associated with Quetzalcoatl among all the major cultures of Mesoamerica not just in history but also in the modern world. To content from our 1768 first Edition with your subscription suggests that deities! Task of creating the world military ruling class seizing power from the underworld to the.. 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