Quetzalcóatl

Photogallery

Quetzalcóatl
Quetzalcóatl
Collection

The monolith of reddish stone, from which the object was produced, has been carefully sculpted and polished. It depicts the God Quetzalcóatl, “feathered serpent”, in his animal form. The artist has rendered the characteristic parts of the reptile’s body with great realism: the head with its small round eyes and its dilated nostrils, the mouth with its forked tongue, the tail with the rattle visible at the end. The feathers in relief that cover the snake’s body identify it as the “feathered serpent” Quetzalcóatl.
Quetzalcóatl was a deity already present among the main Mesoamerican figures before the appearance of Mexica culture (better known in western historiography as Aztec). Indeed, already during the Classical period (250-900 A.D.), there was evidence of its presence in Teotihuacan, the main city of the Mexican Central Plateau. The worship of the “feathered serpent” was adopted by the Mexica as a form of legitimation of their power in the Valley of Mexico. Under the rule of the Mexica, Quetzalcóatl was one of the most important deities of the pantheon. He was considered one of the creating entities and had created the men of the Fifth Era, was the inventor of agriculture and craft, and was associated with the priestly caste and religious ceremonies. His predominant appearance was that of the civilising hero and the holder of the political power of the Toltec civilisation. In the Mexica religion, Quetzalcóatl is set in opposition to a mythical antagonist, Tezcatlipoca, “smoking mirror”, a nocturnal god of protean form, that represents his dualistic counterpart. Quetzalcóatl was also manifested in other forms, such as Ehécatl, the god of wind, and Tlahuizcatlpantecuhtli, the Lord of Dawn: Venus.