Aztec and Maya Religion

Question?  What is the difference between polytheism and monotheism?

Polytheism  The belief in many gods  Ancient Greeks  Zeus- the God of Thunder  Ancient Romans  Mars- the God of War  The belief in many gods  Ancient Greeks  Zeus- the God of Thunder  Ancient Romans  Mars- the God of War Zeus- the king of gods

Polytheism  The Maya  Chac- the God of Rain  The Maya  Chac- the God of Rain  Native Americans Spirituality and Nature  Native Americans Spirituality and Nature

QUETZALCOATL Feathered Serpent

Quetzalcoatl  The Feather Serpent  The of God of self-sacrifice, rebirth, human subsistence (living)  The God of the Aztec Priest  Through Quetzalcoatl, Aztec priest were able to gain knowledge and learning  Opposed human sacrifice; preferred animal sacrifice  The Feather Serpent  The of God of self-sacrifice, rebirth, human subsistence (living)  The God of the Aztec Priest  Through Quetzalcoatl, Aztec priest were able to gain knowledge and learning  Opposed human sacrifice; preferred animal sacrifice

Quetzalcoatl  Created humans  Named all of the landmarks of the Earth  Discovered maize  Created fire  Established the maguey culture -- octli brewing and ceremonial drunkenness  Created humans  Named all of the landmarks of the Earth  Discovered maize  Created fire  Established the maguey culture -- octli brewing and ceremonial drunkenness

Tezcatlipoca The Smoking Mirror

Tezcatlipoca  The Smoking Mirror  He was the god of the nocturnal sky, god of the ancestral memory, god of time, and god judgment  Rival of Quetzalcoatl  The Smoking Mirror  He was the god of the nocturnal sky, god of the ancestral memory, god of time, and god judgment  Rival of Quetzalcoatl

The Aztec  When the Aztecs adopted the culture of the Toltecs, they made twin gods of Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl, opposite and equal

Quetzalcoatl vs. Tezcatlipoca

 It is believed that the Toltecs had a dualistic belief system. Quetzalcoatl's opposite was Tezcatlipoca, who, in one legend, sent Quetzalcoatl into exile. Alternatively, he left willingly on a raft of snakes, promising to return.

the morning star  One Aztec story claims that Quetzalcoatl was seduced by Tezcatlipoca into becoming drunk and sleeping with a celibate priestess, and then burned himself to death out of remorse. His heart became the morning star

Xolotl  Quetzalcoatl was often considered the god of the morning star, and his twin brother Xolotl was the evening star (Venus).

Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli  As the morning star he was known by the title Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, meaning "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 sometimes as a symbol of death and resurrection

Teotihuacán

 Teotihuacan was dedicated to Tlaloc, the water god, at the same time Quetzalcoatl, as a snake, was a representation of the fertility of the earth, and it was subordinate to Tlaloc. As the cult evolved, it became independent.

Teotihuacán  The most elaborate representations come from the old Quetzalcoatl Temple around 200 BC, which shows a rattlesnake with the long green feathers of the quetzal.

Teotihuacán  The snake represents the earth and vegetation, but it was in Teotihuacan (around 150 BC) where the snake got the precious feathers of the quetzal, as seen in the Murals of the city. The most elaborate representations come from the old Quetzalcoatl Temple around 200 BC, which shows a rattlesnake with the long green feathers of the quetzal.

The Maya  The Teotihuacán influence took the god to the Mayas, who adopted him as Kukulkán. The Maya regarded him as a being who would transport the gods.

the fifth sun  Usually, our current time was considered the fifth sun, the previous four having been destroyed by flood, fire and the like.

fifth-world  Quetzalcoatl allegedly went to Mictlan, the underworld, and created fifth-world mankind from the bones of the previous races (with the help of Chihuacoatl), using his own blood, from a wound in his penis, to imbue the bones with new life.

 Some scholars still hold the view that the fall of the Aztec empire can in part be attributed to Montezuma's belief in Cortes as the returning Quetzalcoatl.

Quetzalcoatl/Cortes  Most modern scholars see the "Quetzalcoatl/Cortes myth" as one of many myths about the Spanish conquest which have risen in the early post-conquest period

 Gave instruction of music and dance  Cured eye ailments, blindness, coughs, skin afflictions; gave the priests the practice of curandero, the diagnostic casting of lots  Helped with fertility problems   Gave instruction of music and dance  Cured eye ailments, blindness, coughs, skin afflictions; gave the priests the practice of curandero, the diagnostic casting of lots  Helped with fertility problems 

 Sired royal lineages  Established the priesthood -- gave proper instruction of sacrifice and created the Tonalmatal  Domesticated animals.  Sired royal lineages  Established the priesthood -- gave proper instruction of sacrifice and created the Tonalmatal  Domesticated animals.

 Video of the Conquista  aLPxsig  Video of the Conquista  aLPxsig