Table of Contents
When did Quetzalcoatl exist?
The earliest known iconographic depiction of the deity appears on Stela 19 at the Olmec site of La Venta. Dated to around 900 BC, it depicts a serpent rising up behind a person probably engaged in a shamanic ritual.
What is the history of Quetzalcoatl?
Quetzalcóatl was the god of winds and rain, and the creator of the world and humanity. In Central Mexico from 1200, the feathered serpent god was considered the patron god of priests and merchants as well as the god of learning, science, agriculture, crafts and the arts.
Did Mayans worship Quetzalcoatl?
In ancient Mesoamerica, a region that spread across much of Central America, the Aztecs and Mayans worshipped Quetzalcoatl (Ket-zal-ko’-wat), the Feathered Serpent, creator of the world and the god of wind and rain. Though Quetzalcoatl is worshipped as a deity, some believe he could have been based on a real person.
How was Quetzalcoatl celebrated?
The Quecholli Aztec festival honoured him by way of a ceremonial hunt. Quecholli was celebrated at the end of the 14th month, the same day on which the weapons were made.
What did Quetzalcoatl discover?
In Aztec times (14th through 16th centuries) Quetzalcóatl was revered as the patron of priests, the inventor of the calendar and of books, and the protector of goldsmiths and other craftsmen; he was also identified with the planet Venus.
Was Quetzalcoatl good or evil?
Enter your search terms: Quetzalcoatl, god of civilization, was identified with the planet Venus and with the wind; he represented the forces of good and light pitted against those of evil and darkness, which were championed by Tezcatlipoca. …
What was the time period of Quetzalcoatl’s reign?
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 (600–900 AD).
Where does the name Quetzalcoatl come from?
Quetzalcoatl is a Mesoamerican deity whose name comes from the Nahuatl language and means “feathered serpent”. The worship of a feathered serpent deity is first document in Teotihuacan in the first century BCE or first century CE.
When was Quetzalcoatl first worshipped by the Mayans?
Quetzalcoatl History. Quetzalcoatl has been worshipped by all the major Mesoamerican cultures including the Mayans and the Aztecs. The first documented worship of Quetzalcoatl is found in Theotihuacan during the first century BC or first century AD.
Where did the feathered serpent god Quetzalcoatl live?
In the Postclassic period (900–1519 AD), the worship of the feathered-serpent deity centred in the primary Mexican religious center of Cholula. In this period the deity is known to have been named “Quetzalcoatl” by his Nahua followers.