How did the Aztecs worship Quetzalcoatl?
The worship of Quetzalcoatl sometimes included animal sacrifices, and in other traditions Quetzalcoatl was said to oppose human sacrifice. Quetzalcoatl’s opposite was Tezcatlipoca, who supposedly sent Quetzalcoatl into exile. Alternatively, he left willingly on a raft of snakes, promising to return.
Why did the Aztecs pray to Quetzalcoatl?
Quetzalcoatl by himself was a god of many things to the Toltecs and Aztecs. For example, the Aztecs revered him as the god of the priesthood, knowledge, and trade. In some versions of the ancient Mesoamerican histories, Quetzalcoatl was reborn as Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli after being burned on a funeral pyre.
Is Quetzalcoatl good or bad?
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.
Who is the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl?
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.
What did Quetzalcoatl promise?
An unnerving series of coincidences led Montezuma to believe that perhaps Cortés was the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, who had promised to return one day to reclaim his kingdom. Quetzalcoatl, “the feathered serpent,” stood for the solar light, the morning star. He symbolized knowledge, arts, and religion.
What is the Aztec symbol for death?
Miquiztli is a sacred day of the trecena, the thirteen-day period, in the ancient Aztec calendar. It was represented by a skull, which was regarded by the Aztecs as a symbol of death.
How was Quetzalcóatl born?
Something came out of the sun, but the being that emerged was no longer a snake afraid of life, but instead the great feathered serpent — Quetzalcoatl! Quetzalcoatl emerged from the sun and flew around the world, feeling the beauty, feeling the freedom of life and love.
Why was Quetzalcoatl important?
Quetzalcoatl was an important deity, since he had been the creator of humans. However, he wasn’t the first to create them. The world had been created four times before, and destroyed by infighting each time. Quetzalcoatl retrieved the bones of humans from the underworld and added his blood to bring them to life.
Who is the Mexican god of death?
Aztec mythology . Mictlantecuhtli (left), god of death, the lord of the Underworld and Quetzalcoatl (right), god of wisdom, life, knowledge, morning star, patron of the winds and light, the lord of the West. Together they symbolize life and death. Aztec mythology is the body or collection of myths of Aztec civilization of Central Mexico.
What is Mexican mythology?
Mexican mythology is a product of syncretism—a process in which two belief systems merge to form one that is different from either of the original systems or in which a new belief system overlies an older one that has not disappeared.
