There, they greatly influenced late Mayan culture. Before he left, however, he promised to return. Aztec ceremonies often lasted several days . Latter-day Saint author Brant Gardner, after investigating the link between Quetzalcoatl and Jesus, concluded that the association amounts to nothing more than folklore. How old is the United States of America? Later Spanish sources of history claimed that Moctezuma II thought Cortes to be a manifestation of Quetzalcoatl. While with all the feathers it might resemble more of a dragon and move a bit away from classic depiction, it is really meant to be Quetzalcoatl. From here, he would be seen as the morning star, while his twin brother would be seen as the evening star; planet Venus. Quetzalcoatl became linked with the maize crop thanks to ancient legends. On the basis of the different symbolic systems used in portrayals of the feathered-serpent deity in different cultures and periods, scholars have interpreted the religious and symbolic meaning of the feathered-serpent deity in Mesoamerican cultures. Some legends describe him as opposed to human sacrifice[26] while others describe him practicing it.[27][28]. This made crops grow and brought water for drinking. The Toltecs and Nahuas worshiped the god before he was eventually adopted by the Aztecs. A 2012 exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Dallas Museum of Art, "The Children of the Plumed Serpent: the Legacy of Quetzalcoatl in Ancient Mexico", demonstrated the existence of a powerful confederacy of Eastern Nahuas, Mixtecs and Zapotecs, along with the peoples they dominated throughout southern Mexico between 1200 and 1600 (Pohl, Fields, and Lyall 2012, Harvey 2012, Pohl 2003). [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]. In these instances, he is often seen wearing a lot of jewelry and some form of a hat. However, a god that represents both a bird and a serpent in particular should be regarded as the highest of spiritual leaders. Well, not all of them, but some do. While the inhabitants of Teotihuacan were the first ones to worship Quetzalcoatl, the Aztecs reinterpreted him over time. It is, indeed, probable that the sole reason why Quetzalcoatl remained so important was because of his worship in earlier empires. [45][46] The deity has been featured as a character in the manga and anime series Yu-Gi-Oh! One of these groups centered around the city of Cholula, where the great pyramid was dedicated to Quetzalcoatl. 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. [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. Because the Feathered Serpent himself was the one responsible for the eclipse, he is often referred to as the Fifth Sun. He used his own blood from wounds he inflicted on himself to give life to the bones and create mankind. The worship of Quetzalcoatl is wide-reaching, has a rich history, and exemplifies the complex world of Aztec mythology. The Church of Latter Day Saints, better known as the Mormons, teaches that Jesus Christ walked the Earth after his resurrection, spreading the word of Christianity to all corners of the globe. [37] This speech, which has been widely referred to, has been a factor in the widespread belief that Moctezuma was addressing Corts as the returning god Quetzalcoatl. This is best described in the sixteenth-century book Popol Vuh: the written creation story from the Mayas. It allows for a form of food security, and therefore for peace, and as a result, has taken on not only physical and economic importance but spiritual significance as well. Indeed, it turned out that this was the only viable option since the snake wasnt planning on moving for other reasons. Franciscans such as Toribio de Benavente "Motolinia" saw elements of Christianity in the pre-Columbian religions and therefore believed that Mesoamerica had been evangelized before, possibly by Thomas the Apostle, who, according to legend, had "gone to preach beyond the Ganges". The name Quetzalcoatl comes from this language and is most widely-used both because it was recorded by Spanish conquerors and because Nahuatl is still spoken by roughly 1.5 million people. Quetzalcoatl is thus not only an Aztec god. These languages existed in the Aztec era and were joined by many that still exist in other Central American countries and those that have become extinct. These sources further claimed that it was because of this superstition that Moctezuma II invited Cortes as a guest and didnt harm him or his soldiers. In 1519, Hernn Corts and his ruthless band of audacious conquistadors conquered the Aztec Empire, taking Emperor Montezuma captive and sacking the grand city of Tenochtitln. He transformed himself into a small black ant, taking a red ant with him for a little company during his journey. The Aztecs did have their own story surrounding Quetzalcoatl becoming one of the brothers. Hernan Cortes, who led the Spaniards, was first invited into the city by Aztec Emperor Moctezuma II. He drove the winds that brought rain and allowed plants to grow. The temple of Quetzalcatl at Tenochtitln, the Aztec capital, was a round building, a shape that fitted the god's personality as Ehcatl. [citation needed] Additionally, at least one major cache of offerings includes knives and idols adorned with the symbols of more than one god, some of which were adorned with wind jewels. The god in human form taught them to cultivate corn seeds, to work with jade, gold and obsidian, how to dye cotton, the art of astronomy, he enriched their writing, promoted the worship of the gods and forbade human sacrifices, teaching them self-sacrifice by pricking themselves with maguey thorns instead. While other gods had relied on brute force for reaching the other side, Quetzalcoatl relied on intelligence in order to reach the maize. The Nahua civilization, which included the central Mexican Aztecs, almost universally worshipped Quetzalcoatl among their gods. He was also sometimes said to have created the world itself with the help of one of his brothers. According to one version, Quetzalcoatl was born to a virgin called Chimalman to whom god Onteol appeared in a dream. Cult worship may have involved the ingestion of hallucinogenic mushrooms (psilocybes), considered sacred. 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. The worship of Quetzalcoatl sometimes included animal sacrifices, and in other traditions Quetzalcoatl was said to oppose human sacrifice. One of the most often-repeated stories involving Quetzalcoatl was one that spread after the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in Mexico. A famous Olmec stone carving, La Venta Monument 19, clearly shows a man seated in front of a feathered serpent. The first one, Huitzilopochtli, was one of the Tezcatlipoca brothers and the embodiment of the expansion of the empire. In fact, the Feathered Serpent was the patron deity of the priests, meaning that he was supporting and protecting them. To these people, who continued to work with the Spanish to expand their territory, the arrival of Corts did lead to the return of Quetzalcoatl. Quetzalcoatl has been worshiped by all the major Mesoamerican cultures including the Mayans and the Aztecs. In the underworld, Quetzalcoatl went all the way to Mictln; the lowest region of the Aztec underworld. But, remember, the promise of Quetzalcoatl was to bring heaven to the beings that were living in hell. Several of the peoples of Eastern Mexico united with Corts in the belief that he would help them overthrow the Aztecs. 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. [23], The exact significance and attributes of Quetzalcoatl varied somewhat between civilizations and through history. The Aztecs, however, were only a small segment of the regions people. [24] In another story, the virgin Chimalman conceived Quetzalcoatl by swallowing an emerald. Drunkenness was forbidden, so Tezcatlipoca disguised himself as a medicine man and offered Quetzalcoatl alcohol disguised as a medicinal potion. In this period the deity is known to have been named Quetzalchutl by his Nahua followers. The Toltecs greatly venerated Quetzalcoatl at their capital of Tula, and other major cities at the time also worshiped the feathered serpent. Quetzalcoatl was also the patron of the priests and the title of the twin Aztec high priests. 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. What is often called the Aztec Empire was a confederation of three city-states, established in the 14th and 15th centuries. 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. It starts with Tlaloc, the Aztec god of rain. iPhone History: A Timeline of Every Model in Order Often he is also represented as spider monkeys, ducks, and other animals or beings of nature. Quetzalcoatl wasnt all that happy with it, however. There was one way that would certainly work, namely by letting it rain so abundantly that the snake simply drifted out of the cave. Quetzalcoatl is the creator of all people and the giver of wisdom, corn, and the calendar. Quetzalcoatl was so closely linked to fertility and creation that many groups held him to be the creator of mankind. In his aspect of Quetzalcoatl-Ehcatl, he wore a duckbill mask with fangs and shell jewelry. [19] The most important center was Cholula, where the world's largest pyramid was dedicated to Quetzalcoatl-worship. This article is about a Mesoamerican deity. 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 . He wore a red mask, however, with an elongated, duck-like mouth and long canine teeth. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Gods of Death [24], According to another version of the myth, Quetzalcoatl is one of the four sons of Ometecuhtli and Omecihuatl, the four Tezcatlipocas, each of whom presided over one of the four cardinal directions. Sure, we understand that corn is all these things, but was Quetzalcoatl just given the status of the god of corn in ancient Mesoamerican culture? [22] A third story narrates that Chimalman was hit in the womb by an arrow shot by Mixcoatl and nine months later she gave birth to a child which was called Quetzalcoatl. Since the sixteenth century, it has been widely held that the Aztec Emperor Moctezuma II initially believed the landing of Hernn Corts in 1519 to be Quetzalcoatl's return. Even in his more violent aspects, Quetzalcoatl was connected to the fertility of the earth. 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