Quetzalcoatl
Quetzalcoatl () (Nahuatl: "Feathered Serpent") is a deity in Aztec culture and literature. Among the Aztecs, he was related to wind, Venus, Sun, merchants, arts, crafts, knowledge, and learning. He was also the patron god of the Aztec priesthood. He is also a god of wisdom, learning and intelligence. He was one of several important gods in the Aztec pantheon, along with the gods Tlaloc, Tezcatlipoca and Huitzilopochtli. The two other gods represented by the planet Venus are Tlaloc (ally and the god of rain) and Xolotl (psychopomp and its twin).
AI overview
Quetzalcoatl, whose name means "Feathered Serpent," was a major Aztec deity associated with wind, Venus, the Sun, merchants, arts, crafts, knowledge, and learning, as well as the patron god of the Aztec priesthood. He represents an important figure in Aztec religion and culture because he embodied wisdom and intellectual pursuits, standing alongside other significant gods in the Aztec pantheon like Tlaloc, Tezcatlipoca, and Huitzilopochtli.
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Key facts
- Deity.type
- Aztec
- Deity.name
- Quetzalcoatl
- Deity.image
- Quetzalcóatl como la serpiente emplumada y el dios del viento Ehécatl, en el folio 19.jpg
- Deity.caption
- Quetzalcoatl's two forms: the Feathered Serpent at the left, and Ehecatl, the god of wind at the right, depicted in Codex Laud
- Deity.god_of
- God of life, light, and wisdom, lord of the day and the winds. Ruler of the West
- Deity.member_of
- the Tezcatlipocas
- Deity.other_names
- White Tezcatlipoca, Ce Acatl Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl, Feathered Serpent, Precious Twin, Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli
- Deity.cult_center
- Temple of the Feathered Serpent, Teotihuacan, Tenochtitlan
- Deity.planet
- Venus (Morning-star)
- Deity.gender
- Male
- Deity.symbol
- Feathered Serpent
Article
17 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Feathered serpent deity in Mesoamerica
- Iconographic depictions
- Interpretations
- In Aztec culture
- Myths
- Attributes
- Belief in Cortés as Quetzalcoatl
- Contemporary use
- Latter Day Saints movement
- Other uses
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Citations
- General bibliography
- External links
Quetzalcoatl () (Nahuatl: "Feathered Serpent") is a deity in Aztec culture and literature. Among the Aztecs, he was related to wind, Venus, Sun, merchants, arts, crafts, knowledge, and learning. He was also the patron god of the Aztec priesthood. He is also a god of wisdom, learning and intelligence. He was one of several important gods in the Aztec pantheon, along with the gods Tlaloc, Tezcatlipoca and Huitzilopochtli. The two other gods represented by the planet Venus are Tlaloc (ally and the god of rain) and Xolotl (psychopomp and its twin).
Quetzalcoatl wears around his neck the breastplate ehēcacōzcatl, "the spirally voluted wind jewel". 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, and potentially symbolized patterns witnessed in hurricanes, dust devils, seashells, and whirlpools, which were elemental forces that had significance in Aztec mythology. Codex drawings pictured both Quetzalcoatl and Xolotl wearing an ehēcacōzcatl around the neck. 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. Animals thought to represent Quetzalcoatl include resplendent quetzals, rattlesnakes (coatl meaning "serpent" in Nahuatl), crows, and macaws. In his form as Ehecatl he is the wind, and is represented by spider monkeys, ducks, and the wind itself. In his form as the morning star, Venus, he is also depicted as a harpy eagle. In Mazatec legends, the astrologer deity Tlahuizcalpanteuctli, who is also represented by Venus, bears a close relationship with Quetzalcoatl.