Art Resource - ART208099

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Stone bust of Quetzalcoatl, Aztec, from Mexico, 1325-1521. This sculpture represents the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl. His name in Nahuatl, the language spoken by the Aztecs, means Feathered (quetzal feather) Serpent. The serpent's coils of the sculpture are covered with feathers and the face of the god (or an impersonation) emerges wearing the curved shell ear ornaments characteristic of representations of this god.The cult of Quetzalcoatl was widespread throughout Mesoamerica, although it was known by different names at different periods. While his various aspects and origins are far from clear, Quetzalcoatl is said to have been one of the Aztec creator gods. According to the Aztec creation myth there were four suns or worlds before the present one, each of them created and destroyed in a different way. When the fourth sun was destroyed by floods the gods decided to create a new one. To create a new race of humans, Quetzalcoatl descended to the lower levels of the Underworld. He managed to trick Mictlantecuhtli and retrieved the bones of the people of the fourth sun. With those bones and some of his blood he gave life to the humans that inhabited the present world.
Ethno, 1825.12-10.11

Location British Museum/London/Great Britain

Unique Identifier ART208099

Type Image

Purpose Public

Size 5035px × 6000px

Photo Credit Erich Lessing / Art Resource, NY

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