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Classic Maya depiction from Yaxchilan

The name "Quetzalcoatl" literally means quetzal-bird snake or serpent with feathers of the Quetzal (which implies something divine or precious) in the Nahuatl language. The meaning of his local name in other Mesoamerican languages is similar. The Maya knew him as Kukulkán; the Quiché as Gukumatz.

The Feathered Serpent deity was important in art and religion in most of Mesoamerica for close to 2,000 years, from the Pre-Classic era until the Spanish Conquest . Civilizations worshiping the Feathered Serpent included the Olmec, the Mixtec, the Toltec, the Aztec, and the Maya.

The worship of Quetzalcoatl sometimes included human sacrificeSacrifice is the practice of offering food, or the lives of animals or people to the gods, as an act of propitiation or worship. The term is also used metaphorically to describe selfless good deeds for others. Theologies of sacrifice The theology of sacris, although in other traditions Quetzalcoatl was said to oppose human sacrifice.

Mesoamerican priests and kings would sometimes take the name of a deity they were associated with, so Quetzalcoatl and Kukulcan are also the names of historical persons.

One noted Post-Classic Toltec ruler was named Quetzalcoatl; he may be the same individual as the Kukulcan who invaded Yucatan at about the same time. The Mixtec also recorded a ruler named for the Feathered Serpent. In the 10th century9th century 10th century 11th century other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 10th century was that century which lasted from 901 to 1000. Events The beginning of the Medieval Warm Period Viking groups settle in northern France N a ruler closely associated with Quetzalcoatl ruled the Toltecs; his name was Topiltzin Ce Acatl QuetzalcoatlTopiltzin Ce Acatl Quetzalcoatl was a 10th century Toltec leader. In later generations, he was a figure of legend often confused or conflated with the important Mesoamerican Deity Quetzalcoatl (feathered serpent). One estimation puts the years of his reig. This ruler was said to be the son of either the great Chichimeca warrior, MixcoatlIn Aztec mythology, Mixcoatl (Cloud Serpent) was a god of the hunt, the north star and war. He (as another form of Tezcatlipoca) invented fire using the heavens, revolving around their axes, as a drill. His mother was Cihuacoatl. By Xochiquetzal, he was t and the Colhuacano woman ChimalmanChimalman is a goddess in Aztec mythology, the mother of Quetzalcoatl. Her name means "shield-hand. Aztec goddesses., or of their descendant.

The Toltecs had a dualistic belief system. Quetzalcoatl's opposite was TezcatlipocaIn Nahuatl mythology, Tezcatlipoca ("smoking mirror") was the god of the night, the north and temptation. He owned a mirror that gave off smoke, killing his enemies. He was the antithesis and rival of Quetzalcoatl. He was a god of beauty and war. Tezcatli, who supposedly sent Quetzalcoatl into exile. Alternatively, he left willingly on a raft of snakes, promising to return.

When the Aztecs adopted the culture of the Toltecs, they made twin gods of Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl, opposite and equal; Quetzalcoatl was also called White Tezcatlipoca, to contrast him to the black Tezcatlipoca. Together, they created the world; Tezcatlipoca lost his foot in that process.

The Aztec Emperor Moctezuma II initially believed the landing of Hernán Cortés in 1519 was Quetzalcoatl's return. Cortés played off this belief to aid in his conquest of Mexico.

The exact significance and attributes of Quetzalcoatl varied somewhat between civilizations and through history. Quetzalcoatl was often considered the god of the morning star and his twin brother, Xolotl was the evening star ( Venus). As the morning star he was known under the title Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, which means literally "the lord of the star of the dawn". He was known as the inventor of books and the calendar, the giver of maize corn to mankind, and sometime as a symbol of death and resurrection. Quetzalcoatl was also the patron of the priests and the title of the Aztec high priest.

Most Mesoamerican beliefs included cycles of worlds. Usually, our current time was considered the fifth world, the previous four having been destroyed by flood, fire and the like. Quetzalcoatl allegedly went to Mictlan, the underworld, and created fifth world-mankind from the bones of the previous races (with the help of Cihuacoatl), using his own blood, from a wound in his penis, to imbue the bones with new life.

His birth, along with his twin Xolotl, was unusual; it was a virgin birth, born to the goddess Coatlicue. Alternatively, he was a son of Xochiquetzal and Mixcoatl.

One Aztec story claims Quetzalcoatl was seduced by Tezcatlipoca but then burned himself to death out of remorse. His heart became the morning star (see Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli).