Quetzalcoatl is one of the most important Gods of the Aztec religion.
He is often called “the feathered serpent” because he was depicted as a feathered serpent. Aztec people believed that he created humans from maize and feathers. In other words, Quetzalcoatl, the god who came from the sky, possessed maize and knowledge of the world. These two elements were then used to form humanity on Earth: Maize (an element) for their flesh and Quetzalcoatl’s feathers for their skin.
In this article, you’ll learn about how Quetzalcoatl is different from other Gods, and what you need to know in order to worship them.
Quetzalcoatl
Quetzalcoatl is the god of time, winds and merchants, and all good things. He is one of the four cardinal points in the Aztec religion. According to Aztec mythology, Quetzalcoatl was the God who brought agriculture to humans. The Aztecs believed that he created trees, rivers and animals for them. They also thought that Quetzalcoatl was the lord of all heaven because he came down from heaven as a white-skinned man wearing a turquoise mask and holding a staff called a “Tlazolteotl”. Then he left his bones in an urn at Mexico City. His bones were believed to contain gifts for his children when they needed it.
After his death, Quetzalcoatl became a spirit. He can take a lot of forms, but the main ones are a man with a white beard, an old man wearing a turquoise mask and/or a snake with feathers. He is also connected to the weather because it’s a common belief that he is the God who makes rain and wind blow. He can destroy everything if he chooses to.
Huitzilopochtli, Father of the Aztecs
Huitzilopochtli is the Aztec God who was born from the heart of a flower. He was also called “the god of war” because he would get angry very easily and destroyed everything he touched. Sometimes he could seem to be very kind to his subjects. But at other times, he was very harmful.
The name “Huitzilopochtli” means “hummingbird on the left”, which is the place where there are flowers and fruits. This is why Huitzilopochtli was also called the God of peace because he always brought flowers and fruits to his people. According to the Aztecs, Huitzilopochtli used arrows with hummingbird feathers attached to them in order to defend his people against their enemies. He did this because he thought that his people were weak and could not defend themselves from their enemies.
Tlaloc, God of Rain and Storms
Tlaloc was the God of rain and storms. He is also a river with rain and waterfalls. He is the one who makes clouds, thunder and lightning. Mirrors are made from his tears. According to Aztec mythology, Tlaloc might be angry when he sees that something has been done wrong, so he would punish them.
For example, he would make a huge flood to destroy all their houses except for seven homes that were built on high mountains. When there was no more land left for Tlaloc to take, the mountains where the seven homes were built became volcanoes where there was always volcanic eruptions and earthquakes at night time until today.
Tonatiuh, God of the Sun
Tonatiuh was the God of the Sun. He was sent from the heart of a flower by another God (the one who created him) to represent humans in heaven. In Aztec mythology, Tonatiuh is said to be a huge eagle with snakes of fire coming out from his eyes and fangs.
By looking at Tonatiuh we can see where he lives because he is shining brightly and illuminating everything. When the night time comes, Tonatiuh goes into a cave and starts to sleep. Then he appears again in daylight and spreads his light to the whole world.
Tezcatlipoca, God of Night
Tezcatlipoca was the God of dark night. He is usually represented as a man, but he could also take other forms depending on what he needed to do. In the form of a jaguar, Tezcatlipoca helped Quetzalcoatl and Huitzilopochtli to defeat their enemies.
In Aztec mythology, Tezcatlipoca was called a “smoking mirror”. The other Gods made him this mirror because they did something wrong and they were afraid that they would be punished by Tezcatlipoca if they didn’t fix it. So the Gods gave him this mirror so that he could only see himself in it.
The Fifth Sun
The fifth sun was created by Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl when they tried to make an army of light to defeat the darkness which had been created by Tlaloc.
Centeotl, God of Maize
Centeotl was the God of maize. He is also known as the God of two eyes and ears. In Aztec mythology, Centeotl taught mankind how to cultivate maize and how to make clothes. He also helped people to work in the fields while keeping them quiet all day long since they were working in the fields.
In order to help him, there were many gods who looked like him and had his powers. Sometimes Midam, one of the gods from the East, was also called Centeotl. There were also two other gods that looked like him. One of them was who helped him a lot: Quetzalcoatl. The other one sent Centeotl a lot of sacrifices and offered him his praise so that he wouldn’t be angry at anybody.
Xipe Totec, God of Fertility and Sacrifice
Xipe Totec was the God of fertility and sacrifice. He was also known as the God of rebirth, dragon skin, the life of gods, and named after human flesh. In Aztec mythology, when he appeared on Earth he had a skin made out of tender maize leaves. He taught people when to sow fruits and vegetables. They respected him so much because they understood that he was wearing these clothes because they were dying in those times due to rain every day.
Xipe Totec is one of the few Gods from Aztec mythology who doesn’t have a wife since it is believed that he married his sister Coyolxauhqui (the Goddess that governed over childbirth).
Quetzalcoatl and the other Aztec Gods
It is believed that some other Aztec Gods are in fact incarnations of Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent god since they have different characteristics like Xolotl, who was Quetzalcoatl’s twin brother during his incarnation on Earth. He was believed to be the God of death, of the underworld, and of the wind.
However, in some Aztec creation stories, Quetzalcoatl and Tlaltecuhtli – being the most important Gods of the Aztecs – were believed to have been born because they emerged from a primordial deity known as Ometeotl.