University press of colorado the myth of quetzalcoatl. But he dates back many centuries before the time of the aztec empire. The myth of quetzalcoatl is a translation of alfredo lopez austins 1973 book hombredios. In the myth section of quetzalcoatl s history, it is stated that a vengeful tezcatlipoca convinced the aztecs to accept the spanish conquistador hernando cortez as the returning quetzalcoatl. Pdf myth of quetzalcoatl annabeth headrick academia. To the inhabitants of teotihuacan, a great city that flourished around ad 200, he was probably the god of rain. The cosmic battle between the two brothers has been interpreted as a dualistic opposition between creative and destructive forces taube, 1993, p82. Quetzalcoatl was the chief god to the aztecs, who ruled central mexico from about ad 1250. Mesoamerican mythology tezcatlipoca and quetzalcoatl are brothers. He was also known as kukulkan to the maya, gucumatz to the quiche of guatemala, and ehecatl to the huastecs of. In project on risk management pdf a version project management questions answers pdf of the myth. The temple of quetzalcoatl and the cult of sacred war at. Warrior, raingod, and spirit of the maize, quetzalcoatl the most familiar of the mesoamerican gods is better known for his attributes than for his complex history.
Religion, rulership, and history in the nahua world. The worship of a feathered serpent deity is first documented in teotihuacan in the late preclassic through the early classic period 400 bce600 ce of mesoamerican chronologyteotihuacan arose as a new religious center in the mexican highland, around the time of. Quetzalcoatl qfiles the online library of knowledge. Quetzalcoatl is closely associated with the myth of the four cardinal directions. Beginning in 1918, excavations by manuel gamio revealed an elaborate and beautifully preserved facade underlying later. Representations of a feathered snake occur as early as the teotihuacan civilization 3rd to 8th century ce on the central plateau. The archaeological materials discovered coincide with iconographic.
Quetzalcoatl myth encyclopedia mythology, god, names. The temple of quetzalcoatl at teotihuacan has been the source of startling archaeological discoveries since the early portion of this century. The christianization of quetzalcoatl sunstone magazine. Quetzalcoatl panmesoamerican feathered serpent god. The aztec creation myth which describes how the world originated is called the legend of the fifth sun. Mesoamerican religion is pervasive in every aspect of their culture. Quetzalcoatl is a mesoamerican deity whose name comes from the nahuatl language and has the meaning of featheredserpent. I was fortunate to be there one year for the spring equinox and witness the light display of the great feathered serpent kukulcan or quetzalcoatl depending on where youre from, descending down the stairs of the pyramid and into the ground. Another myth describes quetzalcoatl as white tezcatlipoca, presider over the west and god of light, mercy, and wind. Part of the mesoamerican mexica or aztec myth of the origin of people, where quetzalcoatl, the plumed serpent, descends into the land of the dead, mictlan, to rescue the bones of humanity and bring them back to life. Nov 01, 2016 however, only a handful of his works have been translated into english, so the university press of colorados recent publication of the myth of quetzalcoatl, lopez austins first masterpiece, meticulously translated by russ davidson and guilhem olivier, is cause for celebration. Nonetheless, i found this collection to be stimulating and believe others will.
Quetzalcohuatzin, modern nahuatl pronunciation help info is a deity in mesoamerican culture and literature whose name comes from the nahuatl language and means feathered serpent or quetzalfeathered serpent. In aztec mythology he was the brother of tezcatlipoca, huizilopochtli and xipe totec. The thrilling battle between the gods lead to the creation of the sky and land includes index. Pdf on jun 1, 2017, annabeth headrick and others published the myth of quetzalcoatl. Unquestionably quetzalcoatl is the great word, the platonic logos, the demiurge architect of the universe, the creator. Quetzalcoatl was the son of the primordial androgynous god ometeotl. Without doubt, tezcatlipoca is one of bestknown deities of pre. Quetzalcoatl of tula and mixcoatl among the chichimecs. Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent, one of the major deities of the ancient mexican pantheon.
In project on risk management pdf a version project management questions answers pdf of the myth, quetzalcoatl was born by a virgin named chimalman. Also a factor is that the aztecs adopted and modified gods and myths from other tribes. The myth of quetzalcoatl alfredo lopez austin, guilhem olivier, russ davidson published by university press of colorado austin, alfredo lopez, et al. Lineage and myths of quetzalcoatl artwork by marmottegarou deviantart counted among the most important of aztec gods and mesoamerican divine entities, quetzalcoatl, regarded as the son of the primordial god ometecuhtli in some stories, quetzalcoatl is regarded as the son of the virgin goddess chimalman, was venerated as the creator of mankind and earth. Beginning in 1918, excavations by manuel gamio revealed an elaborate and beautifully preserved facade underlying later construction. Quetzalcoatl pronounced kehtzalcohwahtul and roughly translated as the feathered serpent, the plumed serpent or the quetzalfeathered serpent, is the name of an important mesoamerican deity who was worshiped throughout the region in one form or another for 1,200 years. Several different versions of this myth exist because the stories were originally passed down by oral tradition, and because the aztecs adopted and modified gods and myths from other tribes. First of all, quetzalcoatl was a god of such importance and power that nearly no aspect of everyday life seemed to go untouched by him. Over the west presides the white tezcatlipoca, quetzalcoatl, the god of light, justice, mercy and wind.
The name quetzalcoatl is a combination of two nahuatl the language of the aztecs words, quetzal, which is the emerald plume bird, and coatl, which means serpent. Since that time quetzalcoatl has been described as a viking, a chinese explorer, an extraterrestrial, moses, and jesus christ. Quetzalcoatl rescues humanity in the land of the dead. Known to the zapotecs, olmecs, toltecs, mayans, aztecs, and others, and at times the shared hero of warring peoples, quetzalcoatl transcends both cultural and chronological barriers. The god known as the plumed serpent is a mix of bird and rattle snake and his name is a combination of the nahuatl words for the quetzal the emerald plumed bird and coatl or serpent. First is because the stories were originally passed down by oral tradition. List of books and articles about quetzalcoatl online. Quetzalcoatl occupied a central place in the pantheon of the aztec people of central mexico, but he dates back to a time long before the aztecs. Enrique florescano warrior, raingod, and spirit of the maize, quetzalcoatlthe most familiar of. I want to explore anayas literary adaptation of the quetzalcoatl myth under the. The south is represented by huitzilopochtli who is the blue tezcatlipoca and the god of war. Secondly, as a historical figure, his actions would nor could not be contained by the history and thus eventually evolved into myth. Tells in graphic novel format the mesoamerican myth of quetzalcoatl and tezcatlipoca who were never friends but the two gods united to defeat tlatecuhtli, the demon caiman of the sea.
By jack eidt posted on december 11, 2014 posted in. The kukulcan or quetzalcoatl pyramid at chichen itza is a huge solar clock or mayan calendar located on the yucatan peninsula in mexico. May 10, 2019 quetzalcoatl, a feathered serpent or plumed serpent, was one of the most important gods in the ancient mesoamerican pantheon. My point is that one can trace a line through time from ancient to modern people and their practices for any given site, but that doing so is a form of essentialization that. This, of course, does not come from any historical documentation or scholarly reference. Quetzalcoatl is deeper than just a mayan story or myth. The book readers now hold in their hands demonstrates the power of this spell. The feathered serpent bears the complex headdress of cipactli, symbol of time, on his body. The aztec god quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent, is one of the most famous precolumbian deities, worshiped by many different mesoamerican cultures. Quetzalcoatl, a feathered serpent or plumed serpent, was one of the most important gods in the ancient mesoamerican pantheon. Despite its pervasive and lasting influence on the study of mesoamerican history, religion in general, and the quetzalcoatl myth in particular, this work has not been available in english until now. First of all, i have to emphatically state with complete clarity that quetzalcoatl is not a myth. Be the first to ask a question about the myth of quetzalcoatl. For the toltecs, who dominated mexico from the 800s to the 1100s, quetzalcoatl was the god of the.
Kukulkan, just as quetzalcoatl, had a human form as well as that of a feathered serpent. At the time of the spanish conquest, quetzalcoatl was known as the plumed serpent god who came from a long tradition of similar representations. Jun 01, 2002 quetzalcoatl s teachings make up the toltecayotl, or toltequity the art of intentional doingwhich provides an initiatic guide for the transformation of individuals and society, while his personal history is a guide for the development of nahualli, the magical side of human awareness. In one version of the aztec creation myth, the world was created and destroyed for four times each age. The name is also that of a toltec ruler, who is credited with the discovery of corn, the arts, science, and the calendar. Sutherland known under a number of different names, kukulkan, the feathered serpent was one of the most important gods in mesoamerica. He is the 9th of the lords of the day and is often associated with the rain god tlaloc. Kukulcans, quetzalcoatls and even viracocha were in their human representation a complete contrast, having white or silver hair, white skin, blue eyes, and were much taller than the natives. Alejandro bicecci rated it really liked it jan 03, kathleen added it jun, his very name links the earth coatl, or serpent with the sky quetzalli, or precious green feathers. Warrior, raingod, and spirit of the maize, quetzalcoatlth.
And as a legend, he would signal the end of mortal kingship. Therefore, quetzalcoatl is commonly also known in english as the plumed serpent or. Hunter who have seen quetzalcoatl as evidence for christs visit to the americas generally saw the quetzalcoatl legend as an apostate remnant of the truth. In a very crowded pantheon it is difficult to assign lordship over a distinct sphere sun, moon, maize, pulque or earth to one specific god. The aztecs called him quetzalcoatl and the ancient maya referred to him as kukulkan. According to this myth, the four sons of ometecuhtli and omecihuatl, one of them being quetzalcoatl, represent the four cardinal directions. Quetzalcoatls teachings make up the toltecayotl, or toltequitythe art of intentional doingwhich provides an initiatic guide for the transformation of individuals and society, while his personal history is a guide for the development of nahualli, the magical side of human awareness. Jesus christrelationship to quetzalcoatl fairmormon. In the myth section of quetzalcoatls history, it is stated that a vengeful tezcatlipoca convinced the aztecs to accept the spanish conquistador hernando cortez as the returning quetzalcoatl. Apr 20, 2019 counted among the most important of aztec gods and mesoamerican divine entities, quetzalcoatl, regarded as the son of the primordial god ometecuhtli in some stories, quetzalcoatl is regarded as the son of the virgin goddess chimalman, was venerated as the creator of mankind and earth. Florescano, mesoamerica, precolombian, tenochtitlan, guatemala, quetzalcoatl. His counterpart, black tezcatlipoca, presided over the north. According to another version of the myth, quetzalcoatl is one of the four sons of ometecuhtli and omecihuatl, the four tezcatlipocas, each of whom presides over one of the four cardinal directions.
Quetzalcoatl dreams by terry andrews and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Quetzalcoat was one of the most important gods in ancient mesoamerica. Jan 27, 2007 first of all, i have to emphatically state with complete clarity that quetzalcoatl is not a myth. At that time he seems to have been conceived as a vegetation god. Enrique florescano warrior, raingod, and spirit of the maize, quetzalcoatl the most familiar of. The myth of quetzalcoatlis a translation of alfredo lopez austins 1973 bookhombredios. When i described early america as a universally christianeuropean nation i forgot to add the following footnote. Quetzalcoatl myth pdf the return of quetzalcoatl and the irony of empire. Therefore, quetzalcoatl is commonly also known in english as the plumed serpent or feathered serpent. It is unclear whether the ruler took his name from the god or as a great ruler was revered and later deified. As humans, tezcatlipocas trickery thwarted the priest quetzalcoatl myth of ce acatl topiltzin quetzalcoatl. Images of the feathered serpent appear on a temple building in teotihuacan, a mexican archaeological site from the a. Symbol, and myth ofa deity such as project on risk management pdf quetzalcoatl may have multiple and. Thus, they saw some parallels which they felt applied to jesus, while recognizing that fifteen hundred years of apostasy and corruption led to other elements being.
The myth of quetzalcoatl hispanic american historical. Aztec creation myth the legend of the fifth sun the aztec creation myth which tells how the world originated is called the legend of the fifth sun. The myth of quetzalcoatl cambridge university press. Enrique florescano warrior, raingod, and spirit of. Legend says that ce acatl topiltzin and the toltecs left tula after being tricked and shamed by quetzalcoatls brother, the deity tezcatlipoca.
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