According to the Chronicles of Cuautitlan, an anonymous source from the time of the Spanish conquest written in Latin in the Nahua language, Se Acatl Topiltzin devoted himself to the service of Quetzalcoatl from the age of nine.. Then he became the high priest of this god and, with the support of the nationalities conquered by the Toltec state and the Toltec opposition, the ruler of Tollan. Quetzalcoatl proposed a program of transformation to the Toltec society, weakened by constant military conflicts, based on the principles of “Toltecoyotl” (“Toltec spirit”) - an ethical and political doctrine that proposed the creation of a single culture based on the combination of the traditions of the Toltecs and the peoples they conquered, as well as civilizational predecessors, first Teotihuacan's turn. Toltecoyotl called for work, religious tolerance, non-discrimination on ethnic grounds, personal salvation through self-improvement, etc. Quetzalcoatl also carried out military reform, replacing old commanders with his own nominees, in order to secure his rule for socio-political and religious changes.
Quetzalcoatl's relatively peaceful reign was marked by economic growth. The capital of the state, Tula, grew into a prosperous city with a population of more than 40,000 people and was larger in size than any Western European capital of the 14th century. A symbol of the transformation was a new temple in Tula, dedicated to the “Morning Lady” (planet Venus), who was considered the embodiment of the “Feathered Serpent”. The temple consisted of four rooms located at the cardinal points. The western one was decorated with turquoise mosaics, the eastern one - with gold plates, the southern one - with seashells, and the northern one - with jasper and red stones. By analogy with it, another temple of the god Quetzalcoatl was decorated with multi-colored feathers: blue–
western compartment, yellow - eastern, white - southern, red - northern.
The progressive transformations of Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl met desperate resistance from conservative priests of traditional cults. The priests of Titlaucan even led a conspiracy against him.
Se Acatl Naxchitl Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl ruled for 20 years. At the age of 52, he left Tula forever, accompanied by several thousand of his followers. According to Bartolomé de Las Casas, in 968-987. he and his followers landed on the Yucatan Peninsula and by 1027 conquered the Mayan empire that still existed there, taking the name Kukulcan. Twenty Toltec leaders obeyed him. Diego de Landa describes the leader of the conquerors as a man “good-natured, without wife or children, revered as a god after his exodus from Mexico.” However, according to Mayan evidence, Kukulcan was most likely not Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl, but one of his immediate successors who took over his title.
In the Temple of War at Chichen Itza, fragments of frescoes were discovered depicting a battle between red-skinned warriors and white men with large beards and helmets on their heads.
Why did Quetzalcoatl leave America?
Why Quetzalcoatl–
"man" left America still remains a mystery. Many modern interpreters of Toltec and Aztec legends agree that he, not without the help of Tezcatlipoca (Titlaucan), became mired in sins and, having violated the orders and principles he had introduced, could no longer rule the people he had chosen.
Other researchers believe that Quetzalcoatl’s active opposition to sacrifices to himself (in the sense of God) and, in particular, to other gods, was met with hostility by the priests and, in the end, resulted in a massive conspiracy against him on the part of the followers of these gods. As proof of this, the fact is sometimes cited that after the departure or expulsion of Quetzalcoatl, the Aztecs revived the custom of making human sacrifices to him. At the same time, we were always talking about representatives of the nobility who were secretly strangled to carry out the ritual of sacrifice.
True, there is another opinion on this matter - this barbarism arose not because the priests revived the old cult, but because of a complete distortion of the idea of Quetzalcoatl–
"person". He suggested sacrificing his own will, not his body. It was the living soul of man, according to God, that had to move away from earthly life and find unity with the divine cosmic will in order to give real food to the existence of the Universe.
***
Who were the white bearded god
Aztecs Quetzalcoatl and the white-skinned ruler of the Toltecs Se Acatl Naxchitl Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl? Were they the same man or humanoid god who appeared first in Xochicalpo, then in Tollan, Chichen Itza, Aztlan and finally in Texcoto? Or were they different “people” of the same era who left traces from about 700 BC? (and according to Diego de Landa from 1000 BC) to 1300. in different places of the American continent, and perhaps appeared there even earlier.
Readmy work on this topic "
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, Quetzalcoatl was initially 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 a real Toltec statesman and religious figure of the 9th-10th 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 who demanded the return of previous cults with 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 lands of the legends about the god Quetzalcoatl in the 10th-11th centuries. 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
Origin
The roots of the Serpent cult in Mesoamerica go back to ancient times; The first images of bird-like snakes date back to the period 1150-500 BC. e. The snake represented earth and vegetation, but it was in Teotihuacan (circa 150 BC) where snakes were depicted with quetzal feathers. More detailed images were found in the Temple of Quetzalcoatl, built around 200 BC. e., on which you can see a rattlesnake with long green quetzal feathers.
Cult
The worship of Quetzalcoatl included the sacrifice of butterflies and hummingbirds, and in the later period of the cult (when Quetzalcoatl's influence as a politician waned) people were also sacrificed.
see also
Literature
- Kinzhalov R.V. Mythological Dictionary / Ch. ed. E. M. Meletinsky- M.: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1991.
- On the historical Quetzalcoatl, see: Demetrio Sodi, Great Cultures of Mesoamerica
Notes
Links
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
Synonyms:- Quetzal (disambiguation)
- Ketsbaia
See what "Quetzalcoatl" is in other dictionaries:
QUEZALCOATL- (“snake covered with green feathers” or “precious twin”), 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, the lord of the elements, the god of the morning star, twins, patron... ... Encyclopedia of Mythology
Quetzalcoatlus- Quetzalcoatl. Drawing. Quetzalcoatlus. Drawing. Quetzalcoatl in the myths of the Indians of Central America is the god of the creator of the world, creator of man and culture, lord of the elements, god of the morning star, twins, patron of priests and science, ruler of the capital... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary of World History
Quetzalcoatlus- noun, number of synonyms: 1 pterodactyl (9) ASIS Dictionary of Synonyms. V.N. Trishin. 2013… Synonym dictionary
QUEZALCOATL- see ZINTECUATL... Proper name in Russian poetry of the 20th century: dictionary of personal names
Quetzalcoatlus- (Aztec) - “snake covered with green feathers” - one of the three main gods, the son of Mixcoatl and Chiamat, the creator of the world, the creator of man and culture, the god of the morning star, the patron of priests and science. He had many guises, of which the most important: ... ... Mythological dictionary
Quetzalcoatlus- (Quetzalcóatl), in the Nahuatl language the name of the Aztec god, usually depicted as a feathered serpent (Fig. 58). K. was the god of self-sacrifice, the patron of arts and crafts, who gave people agriculture and a calendar. He was also considered the god of the wind and... Archaeological Dictionary
Quetzalcoatlus (disambiguation)- Quetzalcoatlus (order of pterosaurs) is an extinct giant flying lizard. Quetzalcoatl Feathered Serpent, Aztec deity ... Wikipedia
Topiltzin Se Acatl Quetzalcoatl- Se Acatl Naxchitl Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl (also transmitted as Torpiltzin Se Acatl Quetzalcoatl; First Reed Our Prince the Feathered Serpent) Toltec religious and political figure; high priest of the god Quetzalcoatl, ruler of Culuacan and ... Wikipedia
One of the most popular gods of the peoples of Central America from the Olmec era (XII-VI centuries BC) was Quetzalcoatlus – “snake covered with green feathers”, “precious father of serpents sweeping away roads” or simply “feathered serpent”. He was a kind of fabulous hybrid of a bird of paradise (quetzal) and a snake (coatl) and was considered a creator god, lord of the elements and creator of man.
Creation of worlds and people by Quetzalcoatl
According to the cosmological ideas of the Mayans and Aztecs, Quetzalcoatl, one way or another, took part in creation in each of the five world eras (and), ruled the Second Epoch and created (according to some myths, with the help of the Earth goddess Cihuacoatl) people of the last, Fifth era from bones inhabitants of previous eras, collected in the underworld–
Kingdom of the Dead.
According to the Mayans and Aztecs, the Universe created by Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca went through four epochs (stages or eras) of development. The first era (“Four Jaguars”), in which Tezcatlipoca was the supreme deity in the form of the Sun, ended with the extermination of the tribe of giants who then inhabited the Earth by jaguars. In the second era (“Four Winds”), Quetzalcoatl became the Sun, and it ended with hurricanes and the transformation of people into monkeys. Tlaloc became the third Sun, and his era (“Four Rains”) ended with a worldwide fire. In the fourth era (“Four Waters”), the Sun was the water goddess Chalchiuhtlicue; this period ended with a flood, during which people turned into fish. The modern, fifth era (“Four Earthquakes”) with the sun god Tonatiuh should end with terrible cataclysms.
This is how it was according to the slightly different Mayan myths and the Aztec manuscript “Legend of the Suns” (1558). Quetzalcoatl descended into the underworld–
Mictlan (9th Hell) to the lord of the kingdom of the dead Mictlantecuhtli and his wife Mictlancihuatl for the bones of the dead. Mictlantecuhtli first allowed him to take the bones, but then suddenly changed his mind. Quetzalcoatl (with the help of his double) nevertheless collected them (rushed to run) and made two bundles of them–
one contained the bones of women, the other the bones of men. Then Mictlantecuhtli ordered the gods of the underworld to dig a hole (he chased him and ordered the quail to attack the creator god). Quetzalcoatl tripped, fell into a hole (on bones) and broke the bones (a quail pecked them). Then, according to one version, he barely escaped from the Underworld, carrying away the loot. Having sprinkled the bones with his blood, Quetzalcoatl created people, but since the broken bones were of different sizes, men and women turned out to be different in height.
According to another version, Quetzalcoatl's double collected the bones and took them to Tamaonchan–
land of the blessed. The goddess Cihuacoatl came there, ground the bones and put them in a precious vessel. Quetzalcoatl then shed blood on them from his reproductive organ. Other gods - Apantecuhtli, Huictolinki, Tepanquiski, Tlallapanak, Tsontemok, together with Quetzalcoatl, performed a rite of repentance. They exclaimed: “O gods, maseguali (common people) were born, because for your sake the gods performed repentance.” Thus, modern humanity was formed.
Quetzalcoatlus- the name of the deity of ancient America in the Nahuatl language, one of the main gods of the Aztec pantheon and the pantheons of other civilizations of Central America. as well as the name of a historical figure.
In addition, in honor of the Aztec god, Quetzalcoatl (lat. Quetzalcoatlus), probably the largest representative of the pterosaur order. and flying animals throughout the history of the planet.
Supreme God of the Aztecs
Quetzalcoatl (Quetzalcoatl, "feathered serpent") - in the Nahuatl language - the name of the deity of ancient America, one of the main gods of the Aztec pantheon and the pantheons of many other civilizations of Central America, as well as the name that was given to some Toltec rulers.
The Aztec god Quetzalcoatl (Serpent covered with precious green feathers of the Quetzal bird) - creator of the world, creator of humanity and culture, lord of the elements, god of the Morning Star, patron of priesthood and science - was the most popular in the pantheon of the peoples of pre-Hispanic Central America from the Olmec era (XII-VI centuries BC). In Aztec mythology, Quetzalcoatl also appears as the earthly ruler of the Toltec capital Tollan. He is kind and wise, but his eternal rival, the god Tezcatlipoca, ultimately defeats him by cunning, and the good Quetzalcoatl is forced to flee east across the sea. He promised to return, and therefore the Aztecs initially mistook the Spanish conquistador F. Cortes for Quetzalcoatl, who had returned to them.
The quetzal (quetzal, quetzal) is a small bird with bright emerald plumage that was highly valued in traditional cultures of the Americas. The quetzal is an ancient symbol of love of freedom: this bird does not live in captivity.
Quetzalcoatl (Quetzalcoatl, Quetzalcoatl; Quetzalcoatl, “feathered serpent”) - in the Nahuatl language - the name of the deity of ancient America, one of the main gods of the Aztec pantheon and the pantheons of other civilizations of Central America, as well as the name of a historical figure.
The quetzal (quetzal, quetzal, quetzal) is a small bird with bright emerald plumage that was highly valued in traditional cultures of the Americas. The quetzal is an ancient symbol of love of freedom: this bird does not live in captivity.
The roots of the Serpent cult go back to ancient times. The snake represented earth and vegetation, but this was in Teotihuacan, where snakes were depicted with quetzal feathers. More detailed images were found in the Temple of Quetzalcoatl, in which one can see a rattlesnake with long green quetzal feathers.
In Teotihuacan, Tlaloc, the god of water, was worshiped, while Quetzalcoatl, like a snake, personified the fertility of the earth and was subordinate to Tlaloc. After the development of the cult, he became independent.
Over time, Quetzalcoatl merged with other deities and adopted their properties. Quetzalcoatl was often associated with Ehecatl, the god of the air, personifying the forces of nature, and was also associated with the morning star (under the name Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli). depths of the underworld from west to east solar disk). Quetzalcoatl became the embodiment of rain, divine waters and winds, while Tlaloc was the god of underground and lake waters, caves and rivers, as well as plants. And finally, Quetzalcoatl became one of the creator gods .
In Xochicalco, rulers began to associate their power with the name of Quetzalcoatl, and images of the god acquired more human features. Over time, the Toltecs adopted the religion, and their rulers began to use the name Quetzalcoatl. The Toltecs portrayed the Feathered God as a man possessing divine traits, which were also associated with their rulers.
The most famous of these rulers was Topiltzin Se Acatl Quetzalcoatl, whose legends are practically inseparable from the legends about the god. The Toltecs associated Quetzalcoatl with their own god, Tezcatlipoca (Tezcatlipoca), and made them equal rivals and twins. One of the legends about Se Acatl says that he considered his face so ugly that he grew a long beard to hide it and later began wearing a white mask. The legend was somewhat distorted, and in images Quetzalcoatl was often depicted as a white-bearded man.
The worship of Quetzalcoatl included the sacrifice of butterflies and hummingbirds, and in the later period of the cult, people were also sacrificed.
Aztec god Quetzalcoatl - conquistador or alien?
Quetzalcoatel is perhaps the most mysterious figure in Aztec mythology. It is often said that the Indian civilization was destroyed because they mistook the Spanish conqueror for this deity. And others no less sincerely believe that the real Quetzalcoatel is an alien from outer space. So where is the truth?
To understand who the Feathered Serpent Quetzalcoatl, who was worshiped by the Aztecs, could be, you should carefully study the mythology of this people. Fortunately, it has reached us in fairly detailed form.
The Aztecs believed that at the dawn of the world, the supreme god and goddess gave birth to four sons, called Texcatlipocas. Each of them ruled its own side of the world, and therefore had a distinctive color. Later, the red Tezcatlipoca received the name Xipe Totec, the white became Quetzalcoatl, and the blue Huitzilopochtli. And the black one became Tezcatlipa. The brother gods began creating the world. The main work was entrusted to two people: Quetzalcutl and Tezcatlipoca (in the later version - Huitzilopochtli). First, the demiurge gods created fire, then half of the sun, which “being not whole, shone not much, but little.” Next they created man and woman. And they ordered that people be born from them, “and they were all lazy, but always worked.” Only after this did the gods create time, the gods of hell, heaven...... And, finally, the water in which the monster was raised. And they made earth out of it.
After this, the gods noticed that half of the sun was shining too weakly. Tezcatlipoca became the sun to give light to the world.
Brothers' Rivalry
A few centuries later, Quetzalcoatl also wanted to become a luminary. He hit Tezcatlipoca with a large stick, causing him to fall into the water. Its shine has faded. Tezcatlipoca turned into a jaguar - a nocturnal animal - and exterminated the giants in revenge. Quetzalcoatl became the sun, the earth was repopulated, but Tezcatlipoca did not accept defeat. After some time, he, in the form of a jaguar, made his way to the sky and struck Quetzelcoatl with his paw. He fell from the heavenly throne. A hurricane began, many people were blown away and died, and the survivors turned into monkeys. Tezcatlipoca won, but it was not he who became the sun, but his protégé, the rain god Tlaloc. After some time, the offended Quetzalcoatl sent fire rain. People died again or turned into turkeys.
Back in the 30s of the 20th century, the American archaeologist George Vaillant tried to dispel the myth of the “white bearded god”: The monks decided to use this myth as evidence that the Apostle Thomas visited Mexico at one time and drew attention to the Christianization of the inhabitants. In an effort to justify the conquest, the monks attached great importance to the myth of the blond god, who, when bidding farewell to his people, promised to return to them from the east by sea. However, Quetzalcoatl of the annals of the Valley of Mexico was never blond....” he wrote.
Sources: ru.wiki2.org, otvet.mail.ru, stihi.ru, leyv.3dn.ru, shkolazhizni.ru
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