I wanted everyone to know that Quetzacoatl is a city in Guatemala. I had a friend from my mission days that lives there.
FFXIclopedia said:In Aztec mythology, Quetzalcoatl was the primary god of their religion. Quetzalcoatl was depicted as either a bird-snake combination creature or a feathered snake. The bird part is thought to be the Resplendent Quetzal. Feathered serpents of some kind were depicted across Mesoamerica and by such people like the Aztec, Maya, Toltec, Olmec, Mixtec. Quetzalcoatl existed in other societies under different names (Kukulkan to the Maya, Gukumatz to the Quiché). To the Olmec, the feathered serpent represented the fertility of the earth, but it was not until other people adopted Quetzalcoatl did he become a primary deity of worship. In most Mesoamerican cultures, he was the god of rain winds, and celestial water. He was also the god of the Morning Star. As the Aztec society developed, they began depicting Quetzalcoatl as more human so they could better reinforce their rule (they had been claiming to be ruling in Quetzalcoatl's name). To the Aztec, in the form of Ipalnemohuani, he would be the god of creation. Some versions of Quetzalcoatl's cult involved human sacrifices, some opposed humans sacrifices and performed only animal sacrifices. Quetzalcoatl's enemy was Tezcatlipoca, god of night, beauty, and war, whose weapon was a "smoking mirror" whose smoke caused instant death. Tezcatlipoca supposedly caused Quetzalcoatl to leave on a raft. The deity promised he would return one day. It should be noted many Mesoamerican rulers took Quetzalcoatl as their name. Quetzalcoatl is Nahuatl (the Aztec language) for "feathered serpent".
The Aztec religion had the prophecy that Quetzalcoatl would return one day. The stories state he would return as a white-skinned man. The Aztec ruler Montezuma had believed Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes who arrived in 1519 was Quetzalcoatl. Of course they realized the truth, but only after the Conquistadors had conquered their society and shown their true colors: greedy explorers. This traditional interpretation is disputed and it is said Montezuma covered up his army's weakness to their unstoppable conquerers by saying they were Quetzalcoatl and his minions returning as prophesized.
Canitoch said:I think Quetzals are really pretty birds, I like their long tail feathers (is that what they are called? D
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xRiokox said:Yes, those birds are called Quetzals. These birds live in a place called Chiapas, in Mexico. ^^