Temple of the Feathered Serpent
Temple of the Feathered Serpent
The Temple of the Feathered Serpent at Teotihuacan, alongside its full-colored replica at the NMAH. For the sake of convenience, the temple is often referred to as the Temple of Quetzalcoatl (.WAV), though whether the main language at Teotihuacan was Nahuatl is extremely doubtful. The front face of the temple still bears many of the Feathered Serpent and Rain Lord images that together signify their complementary roles of wind and rain, of life and fertility. However, it has been hypothesized that the reason the front face of the temple was walled away from the city's main avenue was that it was in civil protest against the dominating hierarchy. (For a detail of the Rain Lord's image on this temple, refer to the image on the Rain of the Earth page.) T, NMAH
Based on what I've seen from Teotihuacan, the Feathered Serpent had little connection to a human form, as if the serpent itself were the deity. This is a contrast to many later adoptions of the god, depicted as a human face emerging from the jaws of the serpent. This painting of the Feathered Serpent was made in fresco style for a wall and shows the serpent's face in a variety of colors. NMAH
The Nahuatl language would give the Feathered Serpent the familiar name Quetzalcoatl, literal for his description. In this pillar relief from Xochicalco, Morelos State, the god's face emerges from the surrounding jaws of the earth. Quetzalcoatl was also the name of a Toltec ruler-priest, fully titled as Topiltzin ("Our Lord") Ce Acatl ("One Reed" - the birthyear) Quetzalcoatl. In the Aztecs' epic poem of this innovative Toltec ruler, his monotheistic principles made him a threat to the religious and political establishment in the Toltec capital of Tula, now in Hidalgo State. The contemporary ruler, Huemac, collaborated with the evil sorcerer Tezcatlipoca to first shame Quetzalcoatl and then coerce him into exile. NMAH
Perhaps the most inspiring feature in the Aztecs' poem is the promise Quetzalcoatl makes during his exile - he would return from the eastern land of Tlapallan and restore spirituality to the followers of his god. The mosaic work here is made from carefully sculpted pieces of mother-of-pearl, inset into a wooden carving. The face has been interpreted as either Quetzalcoatl emerging from the jaws of the earth, as above, or a warrior clad in a coyote-shaped helmet. Recent studies have argued, though, that this is Quetzalcoatl rising from the earth - the animal head is in fact a bat's. NMAH
Before the introduction of the Feathered Serpent, the Maya had already established a religious belief that certain gods and royal ancestors were carried down from the heavens to the earth within the vessel of a great serpent. Toltec influence into the Yucatán Peninsula had imported the image of the Feathered Serpent, which in turn was translated into the Maya languages. The most popular name is the Yucatec Maya version - Kukulkan. (Think about this - "kan" means 4, serpent and sky.) In the Quiché Maya epic myth, the Popol Vuh, the Feathered Serpent is Kukumotz (.WAV), who was in part responsible for the creation of the earth primeval. NMAH
It was not until the Aztec period that the Toltec versions of Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca were upgraded to gods. Using a name borrowed from the Toltecs and an image borrowed from Teotihuacan, the Aztecs would eventually create the most intricate depictions of the Feathered Serpent. Consider the intricacy in the feathers in this stone bowl's relief. The feathers are the tail plumes of the male quetzal bird, which lives in the tropical forests of Mesoamerica. The feathers can grow up to four feet long. Pigments in the feather produce its deep green to blue color, depending on how the light is reflected. The feathers were therefore so precious in ancient Mesoamerica that they implied kingship. The Feathered Serpent embodies both the royal quality of the quetzal feather and the regenerative life force of the serpent. (Read about the decapitated ball-player in the Ball Game page for an explanation of the serpent's life symbolism.) NMAH
