deity

Quetzalcoatl

A Nahua deity whose name means “quetzal-feathered serpent.” Wind, priesthood, and a particular legendary ruler have all been attached to the name in different records.

Also known as Feathered Serpent

Nahua tradition

Quetzalcoatl belongs to Nahua tradition.
Sahagún’s Nahua collaborators describe Quetzalcoatl among the gods and in legendary history. The name is Nahuatl, not a pan-Mesoamerican essence.
from Bernardino de Sahagún and Nahua collaborators · Florentine Codex, c. 1577
belongs to · sourced · culturally specific
Quetzalcoatl is associated with Serpent.
The name Quetzalcoatl joins the quetzal and the serpent. This is a Nahua naming, not the Greek Asklepios snake and not Apep.
from Bernardino de Sahagún and Nahua collaborators · Florentine Codex, c. 1577
associated with · sourced · culturally specific
Quetzalcoatl is associated with Knowledge.
Sahagún’s materials attach priesthood, calendar knowledge, and a civilizing legend to Quetzalcoatl. That is a colonial-era compilation of Nahua memory, not a Greek Hermes.
from Bernardino de Sahagún and Nahua collaborators · Florentine Codex, c. 1577
associated with · partially sourced · culturally specific
Quetzalcoatl is associated with Transformation.
Later episodes in the Florentine Codex tell of Quetzalcoatl’s departure and promised return. The transformation is a historical-legendary one inside Nahua tradition, not alchemical transmutation.
from Bernardino de Sahagún and Nahua collaborators · Florentine Codex, c. 1577
associated with · partially sourced · culturally specific
Calendar is associated with Quetzalcoatl.
Sahagún’s materials attach calendar knowledge and priesthood to Quetzalcoatl. The calendar is a Nahua intellectual technology, not Ptolemy’s.
from Bernardino de Sahagún and Nahua collaborators · Florentine Codex, c. 1577
associated with · partially sourced · culturally specific
Air is associated with Quetzalcoatl.
Sahagún’s materials attach wind to Quetzalcoatl. Wind here is a Nahua office of the feathered serpent, not a Greek elemental air.
from Bernardino de Sahagún and Nahua collaborators · Florentine Codex, c. 1577
associated with · partially sourced · culturally specific