As the god of learning, of writing, and of books, Quetzalcatl was particularly venerated in the calmecac, religious colleges annexed to the temples, in which the future priests and the sons of the nobility were educated. Though he originated as a vegetation god, Quetzalcoatl's role in the Aztec mythos expanded over time. Large stone sculptures - perhaps the greatest Aztec artistic feat? Bird, Snake, Dog, Wind, Priest, Roadsweeper even Planet! Corrections? The head was carved separately and attached to the wall via tenons (mounting pegs). By . He never offered human victims, only snakes, birds, and butterflies. After praying at an altar to Quetzalcoatl and swallowing a precious stone (emerald or jade, depending on the version of the tale), Chimalma became pregnant with Topiltzin-Quetzalcoatl. In Nhuatl, the word Xolotl was often associated with the concept of twins and physical deformity, so statues of the deity often portray a dog with twin heads, or ragged ears and running sores. Later, Xavier and the Aztecs summon Quetzalcoatl in his mortal form and wind up angering him after cutting him open. Quetzalcoatl - Wikipedia After a slapstick-style chase scene, Xavier winds up as the Sun God and commits "sacricide" (sacrificial suicide), ending the skit. While he was responsible for creating humanity and providing them with their staple crops, it was his brother Tezcatlipoca that ultimately ruled the modern era. Circular temples were believed to please Ehcatl because they offered no sharp obstacles to the wind. He gave people maize corn, their staff of life: it had previously been hidden away. Math, Kathryn. Im I was looking in to offering Copal resin to Quetzalcoat. Quetzalcoatl - McGill University His older brothers wereXipe TotecandTezcatlipocawhile his younger brother wasHuitzilopochtli. In poetry weeping and singing both generated noise Read our report on the 3rd London Nahuatl Study Day, Pregnancy and birth influenced Aztec human biology, A cremated example of a death whistle is rediscovered. Quetzalcoatl invented the calendar, metal-working, and agriculture. . Quetzalcatl - Qu es?, caractersticas, mitos y ms "[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. 1,800-Year-Old Botanical Offering to the Feathered Serpent Taylor wrote that the story of the life of the Mexican divinity, Quetzalcoatl, closely resembles that of the Savior; so closely, indeed, that we can come to no other conclusion than that Quetzalcoatl and Christ are the same being.[12]It is unclear how widely accepted Taylors argument was amongst the LDS Church, but Quetzalcoatl isnot currently an important part of the LDS belief system. Quetzalcoatl was instrumental in creating people to populate thefifth age. This article is about a Mesoamerican deity. The most common form of human sacrifice was heart-extraction. Some legends describe him as opposed to human sacrifice[26] while others describe him practicing it.[27][28]. [41] However, in 1892 one president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, John Taylor, wrote:[42]. Ehcatl Quetzalcatl: attracting rain and fertility Were building the worlds most authoritative, online mythology resource, with engaging, accessible content that is both educational and compelling to read. Quetzalcoatl would permit no human offerings in his name. Auh yn jquac molhuja eheca, mjtoa: teuhtli quaqualaca, ycoioca, tetecujca, tlatlaiooa, tlatlapitza, tlatlatzinj, motlatlaueltia. Quetzalcoatl as depicted in the 16th-century Codex Borbonicus. Chimalma later married Mixcoatl, but the two were unable to conceive. While this legend is disputed, it is clear that Quetzalcoatl was an important deity to the Aztecs and other people of Mexico and Central America. This view has been questioned by ethno-historians who argue that the Quetzalcoatl-Corts connection is not found in any document that was created independently of post-Conquest Spanish influence, and that there is little proof of a pre-Hispanic belief in Quetzalcoatl's return. Meehan, E. (2023, January 24). Menu. The earliest depictions of the feathered serpent deity were fully zoomorphic, depicting the serpent as an actual snake, but already among the Classic Maya, images of the deity began acquiring human features, such as the beard (see the Borgia codex illustration above) that he was sometimes depicted with. What does Quetzalcoatl mean? - Definitions.net The above image presents the solar maize god in the ball-court canoe, also called One Hunahpu, the father of the hero twins in the creation account. While not usually feathered, classic Maya serpent iconography seems[original research?] not currently an important part of the LDS belief system, Matt Martyniuk, Mark Witton and Darren Naish, https://www.inside-mexico.com/the-legend-of-maize/, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Quetzalcoatl, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feathered_Serpent, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quetzalcoatl, https://mythopedia.com/topics/quetzalcoatl. The first century of the Toltec civilization was dominated by the Teotihuacn culture, with its inspired ideals of priestly rule and peaceful behaviour. Kathryn Math, Fang and Feather: The origin of avian-serpent imagery at Teotihuacan and symbolic interaction with jaguar iconography in Mesoamerica,Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research, 7 (2017), 20. Oxford: ABC-CLIO, 2000. Quetzalcoatl was the third son of the dual creator godOmeteotl. Mictlantecuhtli would only give the bones to Quetzalcoatl if he could create a sound by blowing into a conch shell with no holes in it. In his form as Ehecatl he is the wind, and is represented by spider monkeys, ducks, and the wind itself. bank of america trustee fee schedule. While these stories vary, some saidMixcoatl(the Aztec god of the hunt) impregnated the goddess Chimalma by shooting an arrow from his bow. Note the human for scale. Herz, May. [44], Quetzalcoatl was fictionalized in the 1982 film Q as a monster that terrorizes New York City. Dated to around 900 BC, it depicts a serpent rising up behind a person probably engaged in a shamanic ritual. Quetzalcoatl - Mythopedia Captain Planet - Quetzalcoatl Offering - YouTube Codex Magliabechiano, fol. Codex Fjervary Mayer, fol.35(Click on image to enlarge), Pic 12: Quetzalcoatl (upper right). The city of Tenochtitlan was established in 1325 on an island in the middle of Lake Texcoco (much of which has since been filled in to accomodate Mexico City which now exists on this site), and with the city's foundation the original structure of the Templo Mayor was built.