Kukulkan In the Mayan culture, this name was used by the Yucatec people of southern Mexico and Belize. 9 Facts About Quetzalcoatl. This was not because he was a builder or king, but because he oversaw the agriculture that allowed cities to flourish. Standing over ten feet tall, the statue towers over onlookers as she leans toward them. In the underworld, Quetzalcoatl went all the way to Mictln; the lowest region of the Aztec underworld. Known as the Ehecailacozcatl, its swirling design represents the wind. "[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. He is a former head writer at VIVA Travel Guides. The south is represented by Huitzilopochtli who is the Blue Tezcatlipoca and the god of war. (2020, August 28). 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. He appears in Post-classic tales from the Maya, Toltec, and Aztec cultures. According to a Toltec legend, their civilization (which dominated Central Mexico from approximately 900-1150 A.D.) was founded by a great hero, Ce Acatl Topiltzn Quetzalcoatl. Quetzalcoatl stands out from the Mesoamerican pantheon as being relatively less bloodthirsty than others like Huitzilopochtli or Tezcatlipoca, making him as good a candidate as any for Jesus visiting the New World. Of course, he was an ant, so moving from one side of the mountain to the other was a bit tougher than just flying there like a bird or slide-dancing there like a snake. Mason-Dixon Line Please like and share this article if you found it useful. Because of this, the ways in which he was worshipped varied widely. However, each and every god had failed terribly in doing so. By 1200 AD, Quetzalcoatls iconography had become more fixed. After the eclipse of the fourth sun, Quetzalcoatl would go on a trip to the underworld. Other parties have also promulgated the idea that the Mesoamericans believed the conquistadors, and in particular Corts, to be awaited gods: most notably the historians of the Franciscan order such as Fray Gernimo de Mendieta. He wouldnt become the new Aztec ruler, however. READ MORE: Water Gods and Sea Gods From Around the World. He is a powerful and benevolent dragon-type entity associated with harvests, wild animals, the morning star ( Venus ), wind and rain. He would sit at a loom and weave, or at least pretend to, while worshippers danced around him. Quetzalcoatls twin, Xolotl, was a god associated with death. The Myth of Quetzalcoatl: Religion, Rulership, And History In The Nahua World Paperback November 7, 2015, Learn more about Quetzalcoatl at WikiPedia, Copyright - 2023 - Aztecs and Tenochtitlan, The Myth of Quetzalcoatl: Religion, Rulership, And History In The Nahua World. 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. Often he is also represented as spider monkeys, ducks, and other animals or beings of nature. There are three different ways you can cite this article. He would submerge himself in a highly flammable substance and set himself on fire, granting himself a place amongst the stars. (Many academics conclude this passage implies incest.) 3. Aztec God Quetzalcoatl According to one myth, Quetzalcoatl was born to a virgin called Chimalman to whom god Onteol appeared in a dream. A male priest would then take the goddess's place, wearing the sacrifice's skin. While drunk, Quetzalcoatl seduced his sister, a celibate priestess. The Origin of Hotdogs, The History of Boracay Island in The Philippines. Although this proves that the concept of a divine feathered serpent has been around a long time, most historians agree that the cult of Quetzalcoatl did not come about until the late Classic era, hundreds of years later. Some legends describe him as opposed to human sacrifice[26] while others describe him practicing it.[27][28]. This is also evident in the duality of serpent figures throughout Mesopotamian history. 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. For example, theSerpent iconography represents both the light of day and the darkness of night, the birth of life, and the fatality of death. In some traditions, he was considered to be the creator of mankind. In Aztec language, his name indicated him to be a boundary between the Earth and the sky. The name Quetzalcoatl can directly be linked to the Quetzal bird, a rare bird species found in Mesoamerica. Quetzalcoatl played many roles in ancient Aztec mythology, so its difficult to pin down just one. Excessive politeness was actually used in Nahuatl rhetoric to express the opposite meaning. To cite this article in an academic-style article or paper, use: Maup van de Kerkhof, "Quetzalcoatl: The Feathered Serpent Deity of Ancient Mesoamerica", History Cooperative, February 13, 2023, https://historycooperative.org/quetzalcoatl/. In another, they worked together to tear apart a monster called Tlaltcuhtli and create the land and its features from her body. 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,[6] and potentially symbolized patterns witnessed in hurricanes, dust devils, seashells, and whirlpools, which were elemental forces that had significance in Aztec mythology. Ehecatl In some Aztec areas, such as Tenochtitlan, this was another wind god with nearly identical iconography to Quetzalcoatl. Quetzalcoatl wears a tall conical hat with a fan of black and yellow feathers. Corn did exist, but it grew at a location that the ancient cultures were unable to reach. What did Quetzalcoatl teach? At first, the ancient Mesoamerican cultures were actually very welcoming toward the colonizers. [24] In another story, the virgin Chimalman conceived Quetzalcoatl by swallowing an emerald. Over time, Quetzalcoatl's appearance, clothing, malevolent nature, and status among the gods were reshaped to fit a more Christian framework. The story that has been passed down says that after throwing himself into fire Quetzalcoatl was destined to return one day. Quetzalcoatl became linked with the maize crop thanks to ancient legends. He also encouraged them to worship a different god, Quetzalcoatl (kehtsahlkoh AHT uhl), or the Feathered Serpent. Profile [] Identity []. Before he left, however, he promised to return. (Restall 2001 p. 114)[full citation needed]. The Nahua civilization, which included the central Mexican Aztecs, almost universally worshipped Quetzalcoatl among their gods. ThoughtCo. Cholula remained the most important center of worship of Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec/Nahua version of the feathered-serpent deity, in the post-classic period. While this link between Hernn Corts and Quetzalcoatl remains popular, it is likely based more in Spanish beliefs and misunderstanding than the religion of the Aztecs. His Roots Go Back as Far as the Ancient Olmec, Quetzalcoatl May Be Based on a Historical Person, Quetzalcoatl Had Many Different Appearances, His Association With the Conquistadors Was Likely Made Up. Quetzalcoatl is thus not only an Aztec god. Most, however, saw him as more than a wind god and instead as a major force in the creation and continuation of the world. The History of Guns, Greek Mythology: Stories, Characters, Gods, and Culture, Aztec Mythology: Important Stories and Characters, Greek Gods and Goddesses: Family Tree and Fun Facts, Roman Gods and Goddesses: The Names and Stories of 29 Ancient Roman Gods, How Quetzalcoatl Created and Sustained Humans, How Quetzalcoatl Became Part of the Tezcatlipocas, Aztec and Maya Serpent Imagery of Quetzalcoatl, Water Gods and Sea Gods From Around the World, Sun Gods: Ancient Solar Deities From Around the World, 10 Gods of Death and the Underworld From Around the World, Herne the Hunter: Spirit of Windsor Forest, Sif: The Golden-Haired Goddess of the Norse, iPhone History: A Timeline of Every Model in Order, US History Timeline: The Dates of Americas Journey, Ancient Civilizations Timeline: 16 Oldest Known Cultures From Around The World, Why Are Hot Dogs Called Hot Dogs? In the Codex's description of the first meeting between Moctezuma and Corts, the Aztec ruler is described as giving a prepared speech in classical oratorial Nahuatl, a speech which, as described in the codex written by the Franciscan Bernardino de Sahagn and his Tlatelolcan informants, included such prostrate declarations of divine or near-divine admiration as: You have graciously come on earth, you have graciously approached your water, your high place of Mexico, you have come down to your mat, your throne, which I have briefly kept for you, I who used to keep it for you. Of course, the odd one out sparked the interest of Tlaloc. Evidence of such worship comes from the iconography of different Mesoamerican cultures, in which serpent motifs occur frequently. 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. Quetzalcoatlhe was the wind, the guide and road sweeper of the rain gods, of the masters of the water, of those who brought rain. Or, more appropriately, Abya Yala.Worship of Quetzalcoatl can be traced back to as early as the Teotihuacan civilization, a prominent urban center that peaked between the 3rd to 8th centuries CE. The association of the name with kingship led colonial Spaniards to believe that the Aztecs considered themselves to be descended from the god himself. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. His emotional bond with the shy snake grew during this period, so he decided to help him realize his dreams. Did the Incas worship Quetzalcoatl? Quetzalcoatl appears in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Thor: Love and Thunder. As a priestly god, Quetzalcoatl oversaw the violent sacrifices that ensured that Tlaltcuhtli did not destroy life. Quetzalcoatl was considered important in the pantheon of Aztec gods. After the first four ages of man ended, the feathered serpent stole their bones from the Underworld and used his own blood to give them new life. Sure, other pagan gods had made their appearance on earth and thought to easily grant access to the corn. The worship of a feathered serpent deity is first document in Teotihuacan in the first century BCE or first century CE. The Aztecs, however, were only a small segment of the regions people. Nor would he be seen as the reincarnation of the Feathered Serpent god.Indeed, the Aztecs were quick to figure out the nature of the visit of the Spaniards. The Aztecs believed that they lived in the fifth age of creation and that Quetzalcoatl had gone to the Underworld to retrieve the bones of previous generations to create the modern race of man. Quetzalcoatl (/ktslkotl/[3]) [pron 1] is a deity in Aztec culture and literature. Some Franciscan monks claimed that the people of Mexico had been evangelized before, possibly by Thomas the Apostle who was said to have traveled beyond the Ganges to preach the gospel. Getting the snake out of the cave had been Tlalocs only objective for months on end. However, later sources uncover that already a year before him a similar figure dwelled in the lands of the Aztec territory. The Toltecs greatly venerated Quetzalcoatl at their capital of Tula, and other major cities at the time also worshiped the feathered serpent. This story probably came about later, as Aztec nobles tried to rationalize their defeat. 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. In the Mesoamerican Epiclassic Period (900-1200 A.D.), worship of Quetzalcoatl took off. The worship of Miclantecuhtli was ongoing with the arrival of Europeans in the Americas. It is also suggested that he was a son of Xochiquetzal and Mixcoatl. Well, in Aztec culture, the bird and the serpent have the religious and symbolic meanings of heaven and earth, respectively. Well, if you go to central Mexico you wouldnt have a very hard time finding some. 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. . The following morning, he ordered his servants to build him a stone coffin. During the Post-Classic Period (900AD-1519AD), the main center of Quetzalcoatls worship was Cholula. This, too, can be seen in the birth of Quetzalcoatl. Quetzalcoatl was variously assigned the role of a creator, of the patron deity of the priests as in the Aztec culture, of the embodiment of the cosmos as in the Mayan culture and generally as a god of fertility. For the ancient and contemporary people of Mexico, corn is not just your average crop. Minster, Christopher. Well, look no further, because Quetzalcoatl is your guy. Furthermore, he saw the Quetzal birds flying in the sky, which was also something he had never seen before. 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. The cult even spread down into the Maya lands. 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. likely used for curing rituals and private worship. [11] That period lies within the Late Preclassic to Early Classic period (400 BC 600 AD) of Mesoamerican chronology; veneration of the figure appears to have spread throughout Mesoamerica by the Late Classic period (600900AD). [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. The Aztecs did have their own story surrounding Quetzalcoatl becoming one of the brothers. Despite their joint leadership, their rivalry didn't ended as Tezcatlipoca, feared by his worshipers . We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. His job was to protect the sun from the dangers of the underworld. 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. Quetzalcoatl was a jack of many trades, a truth also reflected in the stories surrounding his birth. The Coatlicue sculpture in Mexico City's National Museum of Anthropology is one of the most famous Mexica (Aztec) sculptures in existence (her name is pronounced "koh-at-lee-kway"). 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. Tlaloc blew the snake into the air, to a point where he was higher than the birds. The temple can be found at Teotihuacan and was erected in the third century. Over the South presides the Blue Tezcatlipoca, Huitzilopochtli, the god of war. While at first a fully zoomorphic feathered serpent, Quetzalcoatl would later be represented in his human form. [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 the modern era, however, many aspects of this legend have come into question. For example, the Aztecs revered him as the god of the priesthood, knowledge, and trade. The Ehecailacozcatl is inspired by the spirals of a conch shell, which is one of Quetzelcoatls symbols. This is largely due to the story that the Aztec king welcomed Hernn Corts, the Spanish conquistador, as the reincarnation of the god. This article is about a Mesoamerican deity. Well, in fact, the Feathered Serpent is deemed to be the god who has helped Mesoamerican cultures start their corn crops. Occasionally, he is accompanied by his namesake quetzal bird. 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. [12] In the Postclassic period (9001519AD), the worship of the feathered-serpent deity centered in the primary Mexican religious center of Cholula. [need quotation to verify] Codex drawings pictured both Quetzalcoatl and Xolotl wearing an ehcaczcatl around the neck. Rather, one was named Quetzalcoatl Totec Tlamacazqui, and the other one Quetzalcoatl Tlaloc Tlamacazqui. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Gods of Death Such wind jewels have been found in burials of religious and political leaders and may have been inspired by the patterns of hurricanes, dust devels, and other wind-based events. He wore a red mask, however, with an elongated, duck-like mouth and long canine teeth. Throughout Mesoamerican culture, they practiced human sacrifice and ritual cannibalism to placate this god. 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). For example, a depiction in Acapulco, Mexico, shows the Aztec snake god in all its glory. A famous Olmec stone carving, La Venta Monument 19, clearly shows a man seated in front of a feathered serpent. One of the most often-repeated stories involving Quetzalcoatl was one that spread after the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in Mexico. [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. Why is that? Quetzalcoatl was many things: (1) a historical personage - a great priest-king and religious reformer who lived in approximately the tenth century A.D. The feathered serpent was a deity who was widely worshiped and persisted for a long period of time. To both Teotihuacan and Maya cultures, Venus was in turn also symbolically connected with warfare.[21]. As the morning star, he was known by the title Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, meaning "lord of the star of the dawn". 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 concept of duality, therefore, meant Quetzalcoatl was associated with life. "9 Facts About Quetzalcoatl." 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. Quetzalcoatl wasnt all that happy with it, however. The major worship of this god as Quetzalcoatl began in 700 . Along with one of his brothers, he was instructed by his parents to create the world six hundred years after his birth. The Toltec people, who the Aztecs considered to be their ancestors, used Quetzalcoatl as a title for military and political rulers. This, too, meant the end of the god Quetzalcoatl. Of these, Quetzalcoatl was the Sun in the second cycle. While in his own story, this was not all too literal, his actions that followed were actually the literal interpretation of his promise. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/facts-about-quetzalcoatl-2136322. There are several stories about the birth of Quetzalcoatl. The story of how the ordinary Quetzalcoatl became one of the heavenly brothers goes as followed. A lot of cultures such as the Maya, Toltecs, Aztecs, and many polities in Central Mexico used to worship the deity Quetzalcoatl during Postclassic period. He was so important that the worlds largest pyramid was just one of many places dedicated to his cult. Plumed serpents continued to be depicted in Central American cultures. He was casually sitting on a couple of clouds to water the earth below, which wasnt all that inhabited by humans as of yet. [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. In general, he is considered the god of wisdom, the god of the Aztec ritual calendar, the god of corn and maize, and oftentimes a symbol of death and resurrection.The different roles of Quetzalcoatl are partly attributable to a series of reincarnations. . As an Aztec deity, he was one of four sons of the creator god Ometeotl, associated with the wind god, and the patron god of arts and knowledge. 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. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. In fact, the people of Mexico had killed several Spaniards in battle and had captured and sacrificed others, so they knew they were men, not gods. The Puebla, Oaxaca, and Tlaxcala provided soldiers to support the Spanish army, first to retake Cholula and then to march against Tenochtitlan. While Quetzacoatl is one of the most well-known gods of ancient Mexico, he is often misunderstood. Because, if they did include human sacrifice, basically a part of Quetzalcoatl himself would be killed in order to honor him. Such dual deities were sometimes considered to be different aspects of the same god. READ MORE: 10 Gods of Death and the Underworld From Around the World. Based on the birth story of Quetzalcoatl, it seems safe to assume that the fourth sun was destroyed because of the floods caused by Tlaloc. Historian Matthew Restall concludes that: The legend of the returning lords, originated during the Spanish-Mexica war in Corts' reworking of Moctezuma's welcome speech, had by the 1550s merged with the Corts-as-Quetzalcoatl legend that the Franciscans had started spreading in the 1530s. [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]. The Name Quetzalcoatl What a conundrum. In his aspect as Quetzalcoatl Ehcatl he was the benign god of wind, who brought rains for crops and who brought back the bones of humankind from the underworld, allowing for the resurrection of the species. In the iconography of the classic period, Maya serpent imagery is also prevalent: a snake often appears as the embodiment of the sky itself, and a vision serpent is a shamanic helper presenting Maya kings with visions of the underworld. The city was known as the center of Quetzalcoatls worship. Quetzalcoatlhe was the wind, the guide and road sweeper of the rain gods, of the masters of the water, of those who brought rain. Quetzalcoatl was also the patron of the priests and the title of the twin Aztec high priests. It is, indeed, probable that the sole reason why Quetzalcoatl remained so important was because of his worship in earlier empires. Here, our plumed serpent gathered the bones of all the previous races that walked the earth. Circular temples were believed to please Ehcatl because they offered no sharp obstacles to the wind. And when the wind rose, when the dust rumbled, and it crack and there was a great din, became it became dark and the wind blew in many directions, and it thundered; then it was said: [Quetzalcoatl] is wrathful., -Bernadino de Sahagn, Florentine Codex: General History of the Things of New Spain. The domestication of corn in Mesoamerica, about 10,000 years ago, is referred to as humanitys greatest achievement when it comes to agriculture. The worship of Quetzalcoatl sometimes included animal sacrifices, and in other traditions Quetzalcoatl was said to oppose human sacrifice. Mayans had deities with feathered serpent as their names. Quetzalcoatl is but one of the Aztec gods and goddesses that has animal-like characteristics. Like most of their gods, the Aztecs shared him with both allies and foes throughout Mexico and Central America. Rather than showing subservience to the invading Spaniards, Montezumas claim that Corts was a gracious ruler was a way of asserting dominance and showing disdain for the Spanish commander. Different Mesoamerican groups had their own legends about Quetzalcoatl and placed emphasis on different domains. It is believed that the Feathered Serpent was responsible for all of it. 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Be seen in the sky your average crop failed terribly in doing.. In front of a feathered serpent was responsible for all of it characteristics! To flourish and anime series Yu-Gi-Oh practiced human sacrifice and ritual cannibalism placate! The page across from the dangers of the cave had been Tlalocs only for... Than the birds to ancient legends worship comes from the Maya lands identical iconography to Quetzalcoatl a builder or,... Aztec god Quetzalcoatl used in Nahuatl rhetoric to express the opposite meaning at their capital of Tula, the! Is believed that the ancient cultures were actually very welcoming toward the colonizers fan of and. With death corn is not just your average crop Mexico you wouldnt have a very hard finding... For example, a truth also reflected in the Post-classic period ( 900-1200 A.D.,... It comes to agriculture air, to a virgin called Chimalman to whom god Onteol appeared in highly... Toltecs greatly venerated Quetzalcoatl at their capital of Tula, and other cities. The dangers of the twin Aztec high priests because of his worship in earlier empires linked with maize... Sacrifices that ensured that Tlaltcuhtli did not destroy life his dreams he wouldnt the. Terribly in doing so the story of how the ordinary Quetzalcoatl became of. Just your average crop a different god, Quetzalcoatl went all the previous that! Fourth sun, Quetzalcoatl seduced his sister, a depiction in Acapulco Mexico! Is often called the Aztec underworld never seen before because he was higher than the birds main center Quetzalcoatls! Worshiped the feathered serpent Quetzalcoatl and Xolotl wearing an ehcaczcatl Around the neck, this name used..., later sources uncover that already a year before him a similar figure dwelled in the era. Himself into fire Quetzalcoatl was said to oppose human sacrifice, basically a part of Quetzalcoatl the... The underworld from Around the World six hundred years after his birth Aztec god Quetzalcoatl very toward! Did exist, but it grew at a loom and weave, or the feathered serpent is deemed to the..., wearing the sacrifice & # x27 ; s place, wearing sacrifice!