Quetzalcoatl - “snake covered with green feathers”
or “precious father of snakes, sweeping away roads”, in the mythology of the Indians of Central America, one of the three main deities, the creator god of the world, the creator of man and culture, lord of the elements, god of the morning star, twins, patron of priesthood and science, ruler of the Toltec capital - Tollan . He had many hypostases, of which the most important are: Ehecatl (god of the wind), Tlayizcalpantekytli (god of the planet Venus), Xolotl (god of twins and monsters), Se-Acatl, etc. Quetzalcoatl is the son of Mixcoatl and Chimalmat.

The first images of Quetzalcoatl, discovered in Olmec sculpture, date back to the 8th - 5th centuries. BC e.

During this period, Quetzalcoatl was the personification of the winds from the Atlantic, bringing moisture to the fields, and the cultural hero who gave maize to people. In 1st - 6th centuries. n. e. The cult of Quetzalcoatl spread throughout Central America. He became the supreme god, the creator of the world, the creator of people and the founder of culture.

Quetzalcoatlus gets food for people: having turned into an ant, it penetrates the anthill where maize grains are hidden, steals them and gives them to people. Quetzalcoatl taught people to find and process precious stones, build, create mosaics from feathers, monitor the movements of the stars and calculate dates using the calendar. During the same period, Quetzalcoatl also appeared as the patron of the priesthood: according to myth, he is the institute of sacrifices, fasts and prayers.

In the subsequent period, Quetzalcoatl enters into a fight with his antipode Tezcatlipoca. Tezcatlipoca seduces old Quetzalcoatl, and he violates his own prohibitions: he gets drunk, enters into communication with his sister. Misfortunes befall his subjects, the Toltecs, caused by the same Tezcatlipoca.

The distressed Quetzalcoatl leaves Tollan and goes into voluntary exile in the country of the East, where he dies and his body is burned. According to one of the Aztec myths, Quetzalcoatl, after his defeat in Tollan, left on a raft of snakes to the eastern overseas country of Tlilan-Tlapallan, promising to return from overseas after some time.



Quetzalcoatl was depicted as a bearded man in a mask,with huge lips, or in the form of a snake covered with feathers.The number of his images in manuscripts and on sculpture monuments is enormous.

The veneration of Quetzalcoatl came to the Aztecs from the Huastecs, therefore in Aztec manuscripts he was often depicted in Huastec clothing: a high hat made of jaguar skin, the same loincloth, a breast plate in the form of a large shell, a plume of Quetzal feathers.

Quetzalcoatlus is very ancient god, known to the Mayans, traces of his veneration are found among the ruins of ancient Teotihuacan. It is believed that it was he who allowed Cortez and the Spaniards to penetrate deep into the Aztec lands. The Aztecs considered Cortez to be the incarnation of Quetzalcoatl, returning from the East to reclaim his lands, as many Indian legends said.

The cult of Quetzalcoatl was so strong that even hundreds of years after the conquest, it was common for merchants of small Indian cities to work hard, saving and saving money so that twenty years later they could spend it all on a luxurious banquet in honor of the great Quetzalcoatl. Quetzalcoatl, like the Wind God Ehecatl, was associated with Ehecailacacozcatl, or winds that blew during hurricane rainfalls. Lightning, so similar in shape to a snake, was also associated with this god and was called xonecuilli.

Temples honoring Ehecatl were circular, since the wind god could blow or breathe in any direction.

Indian Codices such as the Codex Cospi and the Codex Borgia refer to Quetzalcoatl's association with the planet Venus and describe its destructive powers.

In the Codex Magliabechiano, Quetzalcoatl is associated with Tlaloc, the God of Water and Rain. In the Vienna Codex, Quetzalcoatl is depicted as a vigilant youth sitting at the feet of the "Primordial", the Dual Divinity.

He could also be referred to as Yacateuctli - Lord of the Leading Troop, or as He Who Goes Ahead, as Yacacoliuhqui - He Who Has an Eagle Nose or as Yacapitzahuac - Pointed Nose.

Could also be revered under the names Our Reverend Prince and Ocelocoatl - the Embodiment of the Black, or Night, Form. In Boone's translation of the Codex Magliabeciano, Quetzalcoatl is mentioned as the son of Mictlantecutli, Lord of the Underworld.

Boone in his work cites one interesting legend associated with Quetzalcoatl:

One day, after washing his hands, Quetzalcoatl touched his penis and, spilling, his seed fell on a stone.

From the union of the seed and the stone, a bat was born, which the other gods sent to bite the Flower Goddess Xochiquetzal. The bat bit off a piece of the Flower Goddess's vagina while she was sleeping and brought it to the gods. They washed him with water and from this water “flowers with a bad smell” grew.

The same bat took a piece of the goddess's flesh to Mictlantecuhtli, who also washed it, and from the water he used, "flowers with a good smell" grew.

The Indians called them xochitril. Quetzalcoatlus was often depicted holding a spike used to draw blood. It is believed that it was he who created the precedent of self-sacrifice, becoming the forerunner of all subsequent human sacrifices. He bled himself in honor of Camaxtli (synonymous with Mixcoatl), whom the Aztecs revered as the father of Quetzalcoatl.

The main sanctuary of Quetzalcoatl was located in Cholula (Mexico).
The name Quetzalcoatl became the title of the high priests, the rulers of the real Tollan (Tyla).

Quetzalcoatlus is a prehistoric bird the size of an airplane! This monster appeared 67 million years ago in the skies of modern Texas. These pterosaurs were the size of a modern F-16 fighter jet. This is the largest animal that has ever soared in the skies of our planet. This pterosaur dominated the skies thanks to its huge wings that were up to 10 meters long.

The fossil creatures were found in Big Bend National Park, an area that was covered with dense forests during the Late Cretaceous period. Scientists are faced with a difficult question: how could such a gigantic animal fly into the sky? After all, in this region there were not so many high rocks that large birds use for flight.

According to a new study, these animals used the slopes on the banks of lakes and river valleys - after all, such prehistoric runways provide quite good conditions for takeoff.

To take off, this animal first ran on all fours, and when it reached sufficient speed, it switched to running on its hind legs, unfolded its wings and began to flap them intensively. Once the Quetzalcoatlus gained enough power and speed, it would finally jump on two legs and rise into the air.

This method of takeoff would be very inconvenient, however, in the air, Quetzalcoatlus was an excellent glider.

Quetzalcoatlus's take-off and landing techniques were probably similar to those of the albatross or the drow Kori, the heaviest living bird capable of running.

Quetzalcoatlus probably weighed between 80 and 250 kg and its length was 10 – 11 m.

These dimensions were close to the maximum with which the animal could take off. Some scientists have calculated that it weighed more, but from a biophysical point of view this would simply be impossible for flight.

Landing on the ground was a real test for this creature; the animal fapped its wings vigorously during landing, tried to stand on its hind legs, and then on all fours.

Quetzalcoatlus had very light, air-filled bones that were strong and durable for their weight, but its wings were still quite fragile. It was a true miracle of prehistoric biotechnology.

These pterosaurs probably fed on fish or carrion. They were about as tall as modern giraffes.

Quetzalcoatl (Quetzalcoatl, Ast. Quetzalcoatl - “feathered serpent”; Spanish. Quetzalcoatl;) - this was the name of the deity in ancient America in the Nahuatl language, one of the main gods Aztec pantheon and pantheons of other Central American civilizations, as well as the name of a historical figure.

and Walking on the ground.

Translation by M. Bylinkina

Etzalcoatl (“snake covered with green feathers” or “precious twin”), in the mythology of the Indians of Central America, one of three main deities, creator god of the world, creator of man and culture, lord of the elements, god morning star, twins, patron of priesthood and science, ruler of the Toltec capital - Tollan. He had many forms, the most important of which are: Ehecatl (god of the wind), Tlayizcalpantecuhtli (god of the planet Venus), Xolotl (god of twins and monsters), Se-Acatl, etc. Quetzalcoatl is the son of Mixcoatl and Chimalmat. The first images of Quetzalcoatl discovered in Olmec sculpture date back to the 8th-5th centuries. BC During this period, Quetzalcoatl was the personification of the winds from the Atlantic that brought moisture to the fields, and the cultural hero who gave maize to people. In the 1st-6th centuries. AD The cult of Quetzalcoatl spread throughout Central America. He became supreme god, creator of the world, creator of people (see in Art. Mictlantecuhtli) and founder of culture.

Quetzalcoatlus gets food for people: having turned into an ant, it penetrates the anthill where maize grains are hidden, steals them and gives them to people. Quetzalcoatl taught people to find and process gems, build, create mosaics from feathers, follow the movement of stars and calculate dates on the calendar. During the same period, Quetzalcoatl also appeared as the patron of the priesthood: according to myth, he is the institute of sacrifices, fasts and prayers. In the subsequent period, Quetzalcoatl entered into a fight with his antipode Tezcatlipoca. Tezcatlipoca seduces old Quetzalcoatl, and he violates his own prohibitions: he gets drunk, enters into communication with his sister. Misfortunes happen to his subjects, the Toltecs, caused by the same Tezcatlipoca. The distressed Quetzalcoatl leaves Tollan and goes into voluntary exile in the country of the East, where he dies and his body is burned. According to one of the Aztec myths, after the defeat in Tollan, Quetzalcoatl retired on a raft of snakes to the eastern overseas country of Tlilan-Tlapallan, promising to return from overseas after some time. Therefore, when the bearded Spanish conquerors landed on the east coast of Mexico in the year dedicated to Quetzalcoatl, the Aztecs initially mistook the Spanish leader Cortez for the returned Quetzalcoatl.

Quetzalcoatl was depicted as a bearded man in a mask with huge lips, or as a snake covered with feathers. The number of his images in manuscripts and on sculpture monuments is enormous. The veneration of Quetzalcoatl came to the Aztecs from the Huastecs, therefore in Aztec manuscripts he was often depicted in Huastec clothing: a high cap made of jaguar skin, the same loincloth, a chest plate in the form of a large shell, a plume of Quetzal feathers. The main sanctuary was located in Cholula (Mexico). The name Quetzalcoatl became the title of the high priests, the rulers of the real Tollan (Tula).

R.V. Kinzhalov. Encyclopedia “Myths of the Peoples of the World” in 2 vols.

The quetzal is a rare bird found in the rugged highlands of northern Guatemala and nearby Honduras. The multi-colored tail feathers of the quetzal were very valuable and have long been a luxury item; they were used to decorate the clothes of the nobility.

"Coatl" means "snake" in the Aztec language. Quetzalcoatl - a snake man, “covered with the green feathers of a quetzal” - is one of the main gods in Aztec mythology, the creator of the world and man, the god of wisdom, creation and inspiration, the patron of crafts.

In addition, the Indian chronicles tell of Quetzalcoatl, a great ruler who retired to the East, only to return later. That is why the Indians so peacefully greeted the Spanish conquerors who sailed from the east in the year dedicated to Quetzalcoatl, mistaking them for the messengers of the divine ruler.

In the book “The Tale of Quetzalcoatl,” José López Portallo (writer and politician, President of Mexico since 1976) said:

This is how the light flashes and the world is created -
He wants to form it in his own way
Quetzalcoatl - Feather on scales,
Eagle-Snake, Boy in the Sky
and Walking on the ground.

Translation by M. Bylinkina

The Mayan Indians called Quetzalcoatl Kukulkan. He was depicted as a feathered serpent with a human head. However, the number of images of Quetzalcoatl is huge; the earliest dates back to the 8th - 5th centuries BC.

"Mythological bestiary"
Kaliningrad, 1999

In pre-Columbian Central American cultures, the snake (coatl in Aztec) represented the fifth day of the calendar. For all those born under this sign, she was predominantly a negative omen, since she was considered a homeless and poor creature. People dependent on this sign become traveling traders and warriors, forced to roam from place to place.

On the contrary, the divine being Quetzalcoatl, adorned with the green feathers of the quetzal bird (the quetzal is a bright green bird, has tail feathers over two feet long, and when it flies, the bird looks like a shimmering snake), has high religious significance, and it combines symbolic qualities of the bird and the snake as a dualistic system connecting heaven and earth.

…Coacecoalcos means Sanctuary of the Serpent. It was here, in ancient times, that Quetzalcoatl and his companions landed on the shore, arriving in Mexico from across the sea on ships whose sides shone like snakeskin.

G. Hancock, “Traces of the Gods”

According to Indian legends, Quetzalcoatl left Central America by sea, sailing on a raft made of snakes.

The polarity of bird and snake is reflected, in particular, in the coat of arms of the city of Mexico (Tenochtitlan in Aztec), which depicts an eagle sitting on a cactus with a snake in its claws. This combination has great significance throughout the world as a symbol of opposites and their union.

Lurker M., “Eagle and Snake”, 1983.

In the ancient Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City), sacred places are decorated with the heads of feathered serpents, and the entrance to the Temple of Quetzalcoatl is guarded by the gaping mouth of a giant serpent.

Such images of Aztec serpents are prevalent in many other sacred sites, such as Teotihuacan in Mexico. The ancient Mayans also worshiped a feathered serpent god they called Kukulkan. Throughout Central America, designs with snake motifs predominated in the settlements of the Aztecs, Mayans and Toltecs - they can still be seen there today.

In the book of de Burburg, the Mexican demigod Wotan, talking about his journey, describes an underground passage that ran underground and ended at the base of the heavens, adding that this passage was the Serpent's Hole, un agujero de colubra; and that he was admitted there because he himself was the Son of Serpents or the Serpent.

Hans Biedermann "Encyclopedia of Symbols"
Jorge Luis Borges "The Book of Fictional Creatures"

Teotihuacan is the city of the gods, the place where people became gods; the abode of those who know the way to the gods. Legend says that the pyramids were built by giants in order to turn people into gods. The Temple of Quetzalcoatl is a six-step pyramid, 22 meters high. It preserves the remains of the multi-colored colors that covered it in ancient times. The design was dominated by a sculptural motif in the form of huge snake heads that peeked out from the facing slabs and flanked the massive central staircase. The elongated jaws were burdened with fangs, and each snake had a crown of feathers on its thick neck.

If you focus only on the frequency of mentions and the number of studies and narratives devoted to this character, you can easily fall into error and decide that Quetzalcoatl was the supreme deity of the Aztec pantheon. This is not so: Quetzalcoatl is one of the most powerful gods of the Aztecs, however, he is far from the most important, and not the only one. But the increased attention to him is not accidental, since he is a unique deity who had not only an international character (that is, he was revered not only by the Aztecs), but also elements of a completely human biography.

A snake in feathers - so what's strange about that?

In fact, initially Quetzalcoatl was a “foreign” deity for the Aztecs: even before our era, this god began to be revered by the Toltec civilization, and from about the 10th century AD he moved into the pantheon of the Mayan Indians, receiving there the name Kukulcan. The Indians of Central America represented Quetzalcoatl in different forms, but the most popular among his visual images was the feathered serpent. This is due to the long and fascinating “evolution” of this deity, which in the original mythology of the Toltecs or even more ancient Indian peoples was the god of earth, fertility, water, and in this capacity appeared in the form of a snake. However, then Quetzalcoatl acquired the features of an air deity, the lord of wind and rain, and at the same time received a name (the Quetzal bird was traditionally considered the embodiment of the god of the wind and a symbol of freedom).

This is exactly how the feathered serpent appeared, a god who combines the features of the god of the earth, fertile forces, and the god of air and freedom. Gradually, Quetzalcoatl acquired additional functions and, as such, became one of the most powerful gods of the Aztec pantheon. Among the Aztecs, this was already a god involved in the creation of the world, responsible for the existence of humanity in its rational and spiritualized state - since it was Quetzalcoatl who gave people what today is commonly referred to as “culture” (knowledge, writing, education, crafts, arts, agricultural techniques and some of the most important crops). True, by the time the Aztec civilization was created (XIV century), Quetzalcoatl was an “absent” god (his status was due to Mayan mythology and Toltecs) and was supposed to return from the east in the future (he was considered the ruler of this part of the world).

There is an opinion that the conquest of the Aztecs by Hernan Cortez became possible because he was initially mistaken for the returning Quetzalcoatl (the god in legends had a beard and fair skin). However, a number of scientists doubt this development of events and, in general, the existence of the Aztec legend about the return of Quetzalcoatl.

The Man Who Became a God

We can say with a greater degree of confidence that the Toltecs and Mayans had such a legend and it is connected with the mythological version of the biography and activities of the real Toltec state and religious figure IX-X centuries. Information about the life of Topiltsin Quetzalcoatl is closely intertwined with legends, but if you separate the obviously fantastic stories from the plausible ones, you get the following biography. Topiltsin was born into the family of the ruler of the Toltec city of Tula in the year of the “First Reed”: there are three versions of this date - 843 AD, 895 or 947. Be that as it may, Topiltsin’s father was killed before he was born, so he had to go into hiding. Even as a child, he decided to become a priest of the god Quetzalcoatl, so his ritual name sounds like Topiltsin Quetzalcoatl.

At the age of thirty, Topiltsin returned to power in his hometown and carried out large-scale government and religious reforms, which are considered by modern experts to be the first precedent for humanistic science in human history (at least 500 years before the start of the Renaissance in Europe and the emergence of the very concept of “humanism”). Topiltsin abolished human sacrifices to the gods and tried to introduce into the consciousness and life of society the principles of respect for both useful physical labor (that is, the lower classes of the population) and spiritual self-knowledge (that is, the priests). In addition, he declared self-improvement to be the main principle of life, which included, first of all, the moral aspect. In political life, he tried to pursue a non-aggressive foreign policy (which was nonsense for Pre-Columbian America), as well as to suppress discrimination on religious or ethnic grounds. In this spirit, Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl ruled for 22 years, but then the intrigues of the opposition, led by priests, demanded the return of former cults from human sacrifices, led to his expulsion from the Toltec cities. Several thousand of his supporters also went with him, who, as scientists believe, carried out the conquest of part of the Mayan lands in the 10th-11th centuries.

Thus, Topiltsin, who enjoyed enormous authority among the common population first of the Toltec civilization and then of the Maya, and as a priest bore the name Quetzalcoatl, very quickly merged with the image of the god himself, and the circumstances of his biography became a mythological plot tales about the god Quetzalcoatl. So this god appeared in the Mayan pantheon under the name Kukulkan, and among the Mayans and Toltecs a legend arose, which later passed on to the Aztecs, according to which the god was expelled from his native places by evil deities, but would certainly return in the future and bring retribution. It is curious that the initially peace-loving cult of Quetzalcoatl among the Aztecs, which was initially peaceful and rejected any violence, transformed into a very bloody one that involved human sacrifice.

Alexander Babitsky

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. Quetzalcoatl - (“snake covered with green feathers” or “precious twin”) In the mythology of the Indians of Central America, one of the main deities, the creator of the world, humans and all living creatures. He was considered the creator of the benefits of civilization and religious rituals. He is worshiped as the patron of sciences and priesthood. Quetzalcoatl obtained maize grains for people by turning into an ant and stealing them from an anthill. The god Tezcatlipoca rebels against Quetzalcoatl's dominance over the world. Having given Quetzalcoatl to drink an intoxicating drink, he turns out to be the reason for the intoxicated god violating his own laws. As punishment, Quetzalcoatl is sent to an eastern country, from where he promises to return someday. According to other legends, he finds his death there.
The Mayan Indians called Quetzalcoatl Kekulkan. He was depicted as a feathered serpent with a human head. However, the number of images of Quetzalcoatl is huge, the earliest dates back to the 8th-5th centuries BC
Quetzalcoatl had many guises, of which the most important: Ehecatl (god of the wind), Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli (god of the planet Venus), Xolotl (god of twins and monsters), Se-Acatl, etc. Quetzalcoatl - son Mixcoatl And Chimalmat. The first images of Quetzalcoatl discovered in Olmec sculpture date back to the 8th-5th centuries. BC e. During this period, Quetzalcoatl was the personification of the winds from the Atlantic that brought moisture to the fields, and the cultural hero who gave maize to people. In the 1st-6th centuries. n. e. the cult of Quetzalcoatl spread throughout Central America (see. Kukumats ). He became the supreme god, the creator of the world, the creator of people (see in Art. Mictlantecuhtli) and the founder of culture. Quetzalcoatlus gets food for people: having turned into an ant, it penetrates the anthill where maize grains are hidden, steals them and gives them to people. Quetzalcoatl taught people to find and process precious stones, build, create mosaics from feathers, monitor the movements of the stars and calculate dates using the calendar. During the same period, Quetzalcoatl. The functions of the patron of the priesthood also appear: according to myth, he is the institute of sacrifices, fasting and prayers. In the subsequent period, Quetzalcoatl entered into a fight with his antipode Tezcatlipoca. Tezcatlipoca seduces old Quetzalcoatl, and he violates his own prohibitions: he drinks alcohol and enters into communication with his sister. Misfortunes happen to his subjects, the Toltecs, caused by the same Tezcatlipoca. The distressed Quetzalcoatl leaves Tollan and goes into voluntary exile in the country of the East, where he dies and his body is burned. According to one of the Aztec myths, after the defeat in Tollan, Quetzalcoatl retired on a raft of snakes to the eastern overseas country of Tlilan-Tlapallan, promising to return from overseas after some time. Therefore, when the bearded Spanish conquerors landed on the east coast of Mexico in the year dedicated to Quetzalcoatl, the Aztecs initially mistook the Spanish leader Cortez for the returned Quetzalcoatl.
Quetzalcoatl was depicted as a bearded man in a mask with huge lips, or as a snake covered with feathers. The number of his images in manuscripts and on sculpture monuments is enormous. The veneration of Quetzalcoatl came to the Aztecs from the Huastecs, therefore in Aztec manuscripts he was often depicted in Huastec clothing: a tall cap made of jaguar skin, the same loincloth, a chest plate in the form of a large shell, a plume of Quetzal feathers. The main sanctuary was located in Cholula (Mexico). The name Quetzalcoatl became the title of the high priests, the rulers of the real Tollan (Tula).
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