No accounts written by the Aztecs agree with Corts and his men, and Professor Felipe Fernndez-Armesto tells us why (follow the link below), This article was uploaded to the Mexicolore website on Aug 31st 2013, (Written/compiled by Julia Flood/Mexicolore). Tezcatlipoca (the black and red are combined) was the wisest. Historians debate to what degree, or whether at all, these narratives about this legendary Toltec ruler describe historical events. Quetzalcoatl would permit no human offerings in his name. As a result, the heavens themselves fell, and the sun and stars were alike quenched. The two then realized that their struggle had to end, so they united their efforts and raised again the sky, resting it on two mighty trees, the Tree of the Mirror (tezcaquahuitl) and the Beautiful Great Rose Tree (quetzalveixochitl) on which the concave heavens have ever since securely rested. The earth still had no sun to light it, and the four brothers met again. [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]. [32][33][34][35][36] Most documents expounding this theory are of entirely Spanish origin, such as Corts's letters to Charles V of Spain, in which Corts goes to great pains to present the naive gullibility of the Aztecs in general as a great aid in the conquest of the Aztec Empire. Let them build for me a habitation deep underground; let them bury my bright treasures in the earth; let them throw the gleaming gold and shining stone into the holy fountain where I take my daily bath. He then journeyed eastward to a place where the sky, land, and water met. Quetzalcoatl went to Mictlan, the underworld, and created fifth-world mankind from the bones of the previous races (with the help of Cihuacoatl), using his own blood, from a wound he inflicted on his earlobes, calves, tongue, and penis, to imbue the bones with new life. While it was being constructed Tezcatlipoca (who in other myths is a creatortrickster god but here is a Demonic force, or sorcerer) came to Quetzalcoatl one day and told him that toward Honduras, in a place called Tlapallan, a house was ready for him. Round monuments occur particularly often in Huastec territory. This last period was considered to bring bad luck because it was represented by Quetzalcoatl in his forceful guise of Wind. Whence come you? In 1980, the mintage for the piece is listed as 266,899,999. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. He is chopping a tree on the upper left hand side, and on a decorated platform on the lower left hand side. The Nahuatl nouns compounded into the proper name "Quetzalcoatl" are: Nicholson 2001, Carrasco 1982, Gillespie 1989, Florescano 2002, Lafaye 1987, Townsend 2003, Martnez 1980, Phelan 1970, (in English, Spanish, and Nahuatl languages), Proposed Book of Mormon geographical setting, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Fate/Grand Order - Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia, The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, "Evidence of Mushroom Worship in Mesoamerica", "New Taxonomical and Ethnomycological Observations on, "All You Need To Know About The Ancient Aztec Gods and Goddesses", "Readings in Classical Nahuatl: The Death of Quetzalcoatl", "Gift of the Gods: Chocolate in the Aztec Empire", "The Complete New York City Horror Movie Marathon! He discouraged human sacrifice, recommending flower offerings instead. Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses Written by :Judika Illes Copyright 2009 by Judika Illes. In this period the deity is known to have been named Quetzalchutl by his Nahua followers. Since 1200 CE in Central Mexico, he was considered the god of learning, agriculture, science, and arts. A bouquet of flowers found in a tunnel under a Teotihuacan pyramid survived a bonfire about 2,000 years ago. (Restall 2001 p. 114)[full citation needed]. He painted the rulers cheeks green and dyed his lips red. [24] In another story, the virgin Chimalman conceived Quetzalcoatl by swallowing an emerald. Drawing by E. Mazzetto 2014. from publication: Contexts of offerings . According to another version, he embarked upon a raft made of snakes and disappeared beyond the eastern horizon. They had a son, but there was no wife for him to marry, so the four gods made one out of the hair taken from the head of their divine mother, Zochiquetzal. How can a man remain among them filled as I am with foul sores, his face wrinkled and his aspect loathsome? From her wound burst beautiful flowers that the bat took to the lord of the underworld, Mictlantecuhtli, who bathed them in the water of his subterranean rivers and perfumed the blossoms.Many other creation myths revolve around Quetzalcoatl, some including the creation of the maguey plant, and the discovery of corn (follow the link below). Discovered using Shazam, the music discovery app. Among the Aztecs, whose beliefs are the best-documented in the historical sources, Quetzalcoatl was related to gods of the wind, of the planet Venus, of the dawn, of merchants and of arts, crafts and knowledge. [43] In a 1986 paper for Sunstone, he noted that during the Spanish Conquest, the Native Americans and the Catholic priests who sympathized with them felt pressure to link Native American beliefs with Christianity, thus making the Native Americans seem more human and less savage. Different myths posit different versions of what happened. (Many academics conclude this passage implies incest.) [18][need quotation to verify]. Xolotl, the Evening StarTlahuizcalpentecuhtli could only guard the sun as it crossed the daytime sky. Although often described as an Aztec deity, Quetzalcoatl predates the Aztecs in the Valley of Mexico by centuries. As his body burned his heart rose to heaven, and after four days he became the planet Venus, the Morning Star. What is this, my flesh, that you would show me? My lord and priest, replied Tezcatlipoca, I come from the mountainside of Nonoalco. He said: We will give him a drink to dull his reason, and we will show him his own face in a mirror, and surely he will be lost. Then Tezcatlipoca brewed an intoxicating drink, the pulque, and taking a mirror he wrapped it in a rabbit skin and went to Quetzalcoatls house. [9] Animals thought to represent Quetzalcoatl include resplendent quetzals, rattlesnakes (coatl meaning "serpent" in Nahuatl), crows, and macaws. Dated to around 900 BC, it depicts a serpent rising up behind a person probably engaged in a shamanic ritual. Tezcatlipoca, force of chaos, arrived to shake things up. The significance of this combined name: quetzal (a beautiful feathered bird) and coatl (a serpent) revealed divinity. A recurring feature in Quetzalcoatl-Ehcatls iconography is a conch chest ornament. Some followers of the Latter Day Saints movement believe that Quetzalcoatl was historically Jesus Christ, but believe his name and the details of the event were gradually lost over time. Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca were brothers in divine myths, where they worked together as creators, and against each other in acts of destruction. Illustration. His people lived well. He painted the rulers cheeks green and dyed his lips red. Containing a round temple dedicated to the cult of Quetzalcoatl-Ehcatl, Cholula was considered a pilgrimage destination across Central Mexico. Follow the link below to read more about Quetzalcoatl-Ehcatl Quetzalcoatl-Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, the Morning StarThe legend of Ce Acatl Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl goes on to tell us that after a long pilgrimage towards the east, our hero found himself so thoroughly defeated by his brother Tezcatlipoca that he threw himself on a burning pyre in an act of self-sacrifice. It has been suggested that these stories recall the spread of the feathered-serpent cult in the epi-classic and early post-classic periods.[14]. In Mesoamerican history many different ethnopolitical groups worshiped a feathered-serpent deity. Codex Borgia, fol.19(Click on image to enlarge), Pic 10: Aztec stone sculpture of Xolotl, National Anthropology Museum, Mexico City (Wikipedia)(Click on image to enlarge), Pic 11: Quetzalcoatl-Ehcatl (upper-right). wildwoods grill food truck menu The Quetzalcoatl of that myth is a god. He accompanies the sun across the sky during the day. He vowed to return someday. First they made fire, then half a sun, the heavens, the waters, and a great fish called Cipactli; from Cipactlis flesh they made the solid earth. They are widely perceived to have spread an active cult of Quetzalcoatl as far south as El Salvador.Parallel to this historic account of Toltec civilization, the Aztecs recorded the myth that the Toltecs were led by a charismatic priest, Ce Acatl Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl (1 Reed Our Lord Quetzalcoatl) (pic 3). (Image credit: Instituto Nacional de Antropologa e Historia (INAH)/Sergio Gmez . Under the guise of wind, he was called Quetzalcoatl-Ehcatl and was considered a great cultural hero. No credit card needed. For many years he ruled the city and at last began to build a very great temple. But the history of the former has been handed down to us through an impure Lamanitish source, which has sadly disfigured and perverted the original incidents and teachings of the Savior's life and ministry. 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. Some legends describe him as opposed to human sacrifice[26] while others describe him practicing it.[27][28]. This is because he dropped, but then saved, the bones of humankind as he tripped over a quail while escaping from the Mictlan (Graulich, 1996). yourself as you are seen by others. And with that he handed him the mirror. Place of devotion: Offerings were regularly presented to Quetzalcoatl in Tenochtitlan, but he was also celebrated in other cities like Cholula and Chichn Itz. In a variant of the end of the legend, Quetzalcoatl departed on a raft toward the east, saying he would one day return. Go tell your master, he said to the servants, that I have come to show him his own flesh. What is this? asked Quetzalcoatl when the message was delivered. While it was being constructed Tezcatlipoca (who in other myths is a creatortrickster god but here is a Demonic force, or sorcerer) came to Quetzalcoatl one day and told him that toward Honduras, in a place called Tlapallan, a house was ready for him. Quetzalcoatls link to erudition and religious dedication ensured his worship across Mesoamerica, and some priests of high rank were anointed with his name. What is this, my flesh, that you would show me? My lord and priest, replied Tezcatlipoca, I come from the mountainside of Nonoalco. Quetzalcoatl Fact FileInterests: Saving the world (or making it), preserving life, cultivating knowledge and recognising beauty.Day Sign: WindTrecena (13 day week): 1 Jaguar. They maintained a major pilgrimage and commercial center at Cholula, Puebla which the Spaniards compared to both Rome and Mecca because the cult of the god united its constituents through a field of common social, political, and religious values without dominating them militarily. Quetzalcoatl was a bringer of knowledge, the inventor of books, and associated with the planet Venus. 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. [47], In 1971 Tony Shearer published a book called Lord of the Dawn: Quetzalcoatl and the Tree of Life, inspiring New Age followers to visit Chichen Itza at the summer solstice when dragon-shaped shadows are cast by the Kulkulcan pyramid.[48]. 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. Codex Magliabechiano, fol.61r(Click on image to enlarge), Pic 6: Designs for Quechtin, or blankets. Quetzalcoatl looked at himself in the mirror and was pleased with the artifice. Quetzalcoatl was associated with the wind-god Ehecatl and is often depicted with his insignia: a beak-like mask. Over the West presides the White Tezcatlipoca, Quetzalcoatl, the god of light, justice, mercy and wind. On the right hand side is Quetzalcoatl-Ehcatl.Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli served as patron deity of astrological knowledge and was of profound importance in religious books in the Central Highlands and Oaxaca. Cult worship may have involved the ingestion of hallucinogenic mushrooms (psilocybes), considered sacred. Quetzalcoatl is the god of time, winds and merchants, and all good things. [38] Some Franciscans at this time held millennarian beliefs[39] and some of them believed that Corts' coming to the New World ushered in the final era of evangelization before the coming of the millennium. In his form as Ehecatl he is the wind, and is represented by spider monkeys, ducks, and the wind itself. putin long table generals; common desk headquarters; best sweet vermouth lcbo; bank owned properties in new orleans; pablo acosta villarreal santa elena, chihuahua; uncle ray murphy cause of death; mike williams deepwater horizon net worth; ian alexander jr autopsy report; jack elam margaret jennison; satyavathi akkineni . The First London Nahuatl Study Day and Workshops. 78r(Click on image to enlarge), Pic 5: Quetzalcatl-Ehcatl. Codex Fjervary Mayer, fol.35(Click on image to enlarge), Pic 12: Quetzalcoatl (upper right). He was regarded as a creator god and a god of wind by such civilizations as the Maya and Aztecs. With his companion Xolotl, a dog-headed god, he was said to have descended to the underground hell of Mictlan to gather the bones of the ancient dead. He never offered human victims, only snakes, birds, and butterflies. Early depictions of Quetzalcoatl are accompanied by raindrops and standing water, indicating that he was a rain deity. Florentine Codex Book 3(Click on image to enlarge), Pic 4: Mexica doctors performing a ceremony in tribute to Quetzalcoatl (pictured). She instantly obeyed and, drinking some of the pulque, also became drunk. Aspects of his myth were perceived as Christ-like. Representations of a feathered snake occur as early as the Teotihuacn civilization (3rd to 8th century ce) on the central plateau. This talisman was a conch shell cut at the cross-section and was likely worn as a necklace by religious rulers, as such objects have been discovered in burials in archaeological sites throughout Mesoamerica,[8] and potentially symbolized patterns witnessed in hurricanes, dust devils, seashells, and whirlpools, which were elemental forces that had significance in Aztec mythology. Quetzalcoatl looked at himself in the mirror and was pleased with the artifice. Quetzalcoatl Offering - Captain Planet | Shazam In an example from Yaxchilan, the Vision Serpent has the human face of the young maize-god, further suggesting a connection to fertility and vegetational renewal; the Maya Young Maize god was also connected to Venus. Guard the sun across the sky, land, and the wind itself West presides the White,! A very great temple quetzalcoatl are accompanied by raindrops and standing water, indicating that he was to. 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quetzalcoatl offerings