how to worship quetzalcoatl
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. One legend claimed that the star was Quetzalcoatls heart, placed in the sky after he burned himself alive out of shame for neglecting his duties. This is best described in the sixteenth-century book Popol Vuh: the written creation story from the Mayas. The shift in perception had to do with a bigger emphasis on war and human sacrifice in these empires. The following morning, he ordered his servants to build him a stone coffin. He was quite a bit bigger than he was before. In fact, the then-current king himself, Moteuhzoma II, prophesied the return of Quetzalcoatl as a white-bearded person even if it would mean that hed have to give up his place on the throne. 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. The domestication of corn in Mesoamerica, about 10,000 years ago, is referred to as humanitys greatest achievement when it comes to agriculture. 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. Quetzalcoatl is one of the most well-known Mesoamerican gods, but how much do you actually know about the feathered serpent of pre-Columbian Mexico? Looking at the iconography and retold myths of Mesoamerica, some historians have theories that Quetzalcoatl came to be associated with culture and urban civilization. The meaning of his name is "Winged Serpent" or "Feathered Serpent". Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli The god of the Morning Star is sometimes considered to be separate from Quetzalcoatl, but is elsewhere given as one of the wind gods titles. [40] However, a majority of Mesoamericanist scholars, such as Matthew Restall (2003, 2018[37]), James Lockhart (1994), Susan D. Gillespie (1989), Camilla Townsend (2003a, 2003b), Louise Burkhart, Michel Graulich and Michael E. Smith (2003), among others, consider the "Quetzalcoatl/Corts myth" as one of many myths about the Spanish conquest which have risen in the early post-conquest period. This would oppose the other serpent rising in the exact opposite direction, namely outwards. Although the citys main temple was not dedicated to him, the priests of the city took his name and his iconography was prevalent. Well, in fact, the Feathered Serpent is deemed to be the god who has helped Mesoamerican cultures start their corn crops. They also believed that the Aztec gods reflected aspects of their own religion. Quetzalcoatl is the creator of all people and the giver of wisdom, corn, and the calendar. Thats quite a big deal, because for the people in ancient Mexico, maize, or corn, is not just a crop. Quetzalcoatls quarrels with his brother Tezcatlipoca sometimes brought about these destructions of the world. The Aztecs, however, were only a small segment of the regions people. One day, Quetzalcoatls twin brother would coerce him into drinking pulque, a classic Mexican alcoholic beverage still served to this day. Aztec Gods Quetzalcoatl Tezcatlipoca Quetzalcoatl occupied a unique position in the Aztec pantheon and was considered one of the most important gods. Its more likely that Montezuma saw the Spanish not as enemies but as possible allies in his ongoing campaign to enlarge his empire. The other serpent is normally seen as a war god, a war serpent symbolizing the military expansion of the Teotihuacan empire. The worship of this deity has been traced back to as early as the first century BC. Different versions of the birth of god are prevalent in Mesoamerican mythology. The worship of Miclantecuhtli was ongoing with the arrival of Europeans in the Americas. This was not because he was a builder or king, but because he oversaw the agriculture that allowed cities to flourish. Quetzalcoatl is a Mesoamerican deity whose name comes from the Nahuatl language and means "feathered serpent". Dated to around 900 BC, it depicts a serpent rising up behind a person probably engaged in a shamanic ritual. To both Teotihuacan and Maya cultures, Venus was in turn also symbolically connected with warfare.[21]. This article is about a Mesoamerican deity. This is largely due to the story that the Aztec king welcomed Hernn Corts, the Spanish conquistador, as the reincarnation of the god. Some said that before this he had helped to create the world itself. Quetzalcoatl was the Aztec version of this plumed snake archetype. Standing over ten feet tall, the statue towers over onlookers as she leans toward them. He is also a god of learning, reading, and books. The gods powers extended beyond the wind, however. The story of how the ordinary Quetzalcoatl became one of the heavenly brothers goes as followed. Quetzalcoatl is thus not only an Aztec god. Quetzalcoatl stole the bones from the Underworld, taking great risks and evading many traps to bring them to the surface. "9 Facts About Quetzalcoatl." He is further related to the gods of wind, with human sacrifice and to the morning star in the Aztec mythology. In Xochicalco, depictions of the feathered serpent accompany the image of a seated, armed ruler and the hieroglyph for the day sign 9 Wind. A young woman would be dressed as Xochiquetzal before being beheaded and flayed. In the episode "Damnesia You," Xavier winds up in the Aztec world and is immediately (and unsuccessfully) sacrificed for insulting the Sun God, and during the sacrifice the Aztecs humorously fail to pronounce his name. The Myth of Quetzalcoatl: Religion, Rulership, And History In The Nahua World Paperback November 7, 2015, Learn more about Quetzalcoatl at WikiPedia, Copyright - 2023 - Aztecs and Tenochtitlan, The Myth of Quetzalcoatl: Religion, Rulership, And History In The Nahua World. His representation of heaven and hell is also interpreted in different realms. 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. ThoughtCo. The Coatlicue sculpture in Mexico City's National Museum of Anthropology is one of the most famous Mexica (Aztec) sculptures in existence (her name is pronounced "koh-at-lee-kway"). In another legend, still told in Mexico, Quetzalcoatl was feeling ill. His brother Tezcatlipoca, who wanted to be rid of Quetzalcoatl, came up with a clever plan. Quetzalcoatlhe was the wind, the guide and road sweeper of the rain gods, of the masters of the water, of those who brought rain. Quetzalcoatl was also the patron of the priests and the title of the twin Aztec high priests. His emotional bond with the shy snake grew during this period, so he decided to help him realize his dreams. On the basis of the Teotihuacan iconographical depictions of the feathered serpent, archaeologist Karl Taube has argued that the feathered serpent was a symbol of fertility and of internal political structures - contrasting with the War Serpent symbolizing the outwards military expansion of the Teotihuacan empire. Quetzalcoatl was associated with the wind-god Ehecatl and is often depicted with his insignia: a beak-like mask. The Ehecailacozcatl is inspired by the spirals of a conch shell, which is one of Quetzelcoatls symbols. Or rather, arrived again. However, independent historical sources do not substantiate this claim and later historians have disputed it as well. He wouldnt become the new Aztec ruler, however. At one hand, Mayans considered a snake as the embodiment of the cosmos. Xochiquetzal and the Moon How should one worship the sun? Carrasco's work was revised in 2000, and the new edition provides a valuable overview of the controversy about Cortes and Quetzalcoatl. The attributes of Quetzalcoatl varied in different cultures of Mesoamerica during different eras. Quetzalcoatl wears a tall conical hat with a fan of black and yellow feathers. Did the Incas worship Quetzalcoatl? While not usually feathered, classic Maya serpent iconography seems[original research?] Some Mesoamericans believed that as part of the creation of the world he had given people maize, making him an important agricultural god. Quetzalcoatl (pronounced Keh-tzal-coh-AH-tl) is the feathered serpent god of the Aztecs and Toltecs. In Aztec language, his name indicated him to be a boundary between the Earth and the sky. [9] In Mazatec legends the astrologer deity Tlahuizcalpanteuctli, who is also represented by Venus, bears a close relationship with Quetzalcoatl. The worship of Quetzalcoatl is wide-reaching, has a rich history, and exemplifies the complex world of Aztec mythology. iPhone History: A Timeline of Every Model in Order The legend reports that Quetzalcoatl was a peaceful king and priest of Tollan, but he was deceived by Tezcatlipoca and his followers, who practiced human sacrifice and violence. 3. Montezuma king of the aztecs during the era had even confirmed that Cortes was Quetzalcoatl or a reincarnation of their deity. The History of Guns, Greek Mythology: Stories, Characters, Gods, and Culture, Aztec Mythology: Important Stories and Characters, Greek Gods and Goddesses: Family Tree and Fun Facts, Roman Gods and Goddesses: The Names and Stories of 29 Ancient Roman Gods, How Quetzalcoatl Created and Sustained Humans, How Quetzalcoatl Became Part of the Tezcatlipocas, Aztec and Maya Serpent Imagery of Quetzalcoatl, Water Gods and Sea Gods From Around the World, Sun Gods: Ancient Solar Deities From Around the World, 10 Gods of Death and the Underworld From Around the World, Herne the Hunter: Spirit of Windsor Forest, Sif: The Golden-Haired Goddess of the Norse, iPhone History: A Timeline of Every Model in Order, US History Timeline: The Dates of Americas Journey, Ancient Civilizations Timeline: 16 Oldest Known Cultures From Around The World, Why Are Hot Dogs Called Hot Dogs? Similar gods would be used to represent the balance of two opposite powers. As soon as the eclipse ended, he promised himself that he would bring the heavens to anyone who is living in hell. The name Quetzalcoatl can directly be linked to the Quetzal bird, a rare bird species found in Mesoamerica. ; (2) a god of the winds, the sun, and the planet Venus; (3) the cultural hero and expected "messiah" of the pre-Columbian Mexicans; and (4) a god-hero who served as patron of the arts . To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. This is evident in the iconography recovered from these sites. The worship of Quetzalcoatl sometimes included animal sacrifices, and in other traditions Quetzalcoatl was said to oppose human sacrifice. "[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. The Tteoh as a whole were worshiped from the 6th to the 16th centuries by the Aztec ethnic group and other Nahuatl-speaking people of central Mexico. The God Quetzalcoatl definitely has a link of some sort to this hero. By 1200 AD, Quetzalcoatls iconography had become more fixed. Round monuments occur particularly often in Huastec territory. 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. For example, the Aztecs revered him as the god of the priesthood, knowledge, and trade. Mason-Dixon Line In some versions of the ancient Mesoamerican histories, Quetzalcoatl was reborn as Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli after being burned on a funeral pyre. In yet another version, Quetzalcoatl is said to be one of the four sons of Ometecuhtli and Omecihuatl. The city was known as the center of Quetzalcoatls worship. Montezuma's failure to act has been attributed to his belief that Cortes was none other than Quetzalcoatl, who had once gone away to the east, promising to return. While drunk, Quetzalcoatl seduced his sister, a celibate priestess. . 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 has been suggested that these stories recall the spread of the feathered-serpent cult in the epi-classic and early post-classic periods.[12]. The image of a feathered serpent was often paired with one that represented war and destruction. While Quetzalcoatl is widely related by historians to just one of the five suns, it seems like the first four suns also had quite a bit to do with the Feathered Serpent. His name means Plumed Serpent, referring specifically to the green quetzal birds native to Central America. . In the Mesoamerican Epiclassic Period (900-1200 A.D.), worship of Quetzalcoatl took off. The floods, too, caused great disaster to the earth in general. [10], The earliest known documentation of the worship of a Feathered Serpent occurs in Teotihuacan in the first century BC or first century AD. The Aztec confederacy was opposed by other Nahua groups to the east. Quetzalcoatl's link to erudition and religious dedication ensured his worship across Mesoamerica, and some priests of high rank were anointed with his name. 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. In fact, it is a deep cultural symbol that is intrinsic to daily life. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. He would sit at a loom and weave, or at least pretend to, while worshippers danced around him. 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. [44], Quetzalcoatl was fictionalized in the 1982 film Q as a monster that terrorizes New York City. In the extant Mayan sources, it has been revealed that Quetzalcoatl, or the Feathered Serpent, was associated with warfare as well as fertility. 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. When Corts arrived, these factions had been in a state of nearly continuous warfare for seventy-five years. Having been in awe of the sun and its light, the snake decided to fly toward the sun. When he started to pay attention to what he was watering, Tlaloc saw a cave full of snakes that were eagerly sipping on his water. 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