Quetzalcoatl

About Quetzalcoatl, i said to have accomplished great deeds. Quetzalcoatl the man, was a leader of a band of roaming Teo-Chichimecs (or Tolteca-Chichimecs, depending on the version). Apparently, Quetzalcoatl's group was leaving Chicomoztoc, which was at t

There are varying versions of this myth, but they fundamentally stay the same. The only major difference is the name being used to describe the principal characters. Totepeuh, Mazatzin, and Mixcoazatin are some of the other names used for Quetzalcoatl whi

It should also be mentioned that the city of Cholula was the patron city of Quetzalcoatl, and Culhuacan was Quetzalcoatl's.

A Fine Line between Myth and Reality

While conquering Culhuacan, Quetzalcoatl is said to have slain Itzapapalotl and then burnt the body. She herself having slayed 400 Mimixcoas. Nigel Davies suggests that this event, which highly parallels a myth concerning the gods of the same name, was a

The Myth

The event draws from the myth concerning the 400 mimixcoas (who were recognized as stars in the Southern sky). According to page 123 of the Leyenda de los Soles , the 400 mimixcoas had neglected their filial responsibilities to their mother, White Jade Sk

In a related myth, the 400 mimixcoas are thought of as wandering Chichimecs who come across the goddess Itzapaplotl. Itzapaplotl then captures and eats them, but Quetzalcoatl escapes. Summoing the spirits of his dead brothers, Quetzalcoatl and his brethre

However, Burr Cartwright Brundage does not believe, as Davies does, that Quetzalcoatl was a real person. In fact, he sees the Culhuacan affair as a simply a myth. He interprets the killing of Itzapapalotl as an explanation for why warriors had customary b

History Take 2

Returning to Quetzalcoatl as a historical figure, Muz Camargo reasserts the belief of Quetzalcoatl the man. However, in it Quetzalcoatl came not from Teo-chichimec or Tolteca-Chichimec origins. Quetzalcoatl Camxtli, as he is called here, belonged to the N

Blood Lines

In either case, Quetzalcoatl is said to have founded the royal houses at Culhuacan, however, Davies points out that some of the text states that Quetzalcoatl founded the royal lineage at Tollan (a.k.a. Tula and Tula, Hidalgo). Unfortunately, there is disc