Did the Aztecs think Hernan Cortes was Quetzalcoatl?

Did the Aztecs think Hernan Cortes was Quetzalcoatl?

Soon after the Spanish colonization of Cuba in 1519, a small army led by Hernán Cortés (1485-1547) conquered Mexico from the Aztecs. Many within the Aztec Empire came to believe that Cortés was Quetzalcoatl the god who would return to overthrow the god Tezcatlipoca, who demanded human sacrifice.

Who was mistaken for the god Quetzalcoatl?

As an Aztec deity, he was one of four sons of the creator god Ometeotl, associated with the wind god, and the patron god of arts and knowledge. A persistent myth about the conquistador Hernan Cortés being mistaken for Quetzalcoatl is almost certainly false.

Who discovered that Cortés was not an actual God?

At the same time, it has been claimed that the Aztecs believed Cortés to be a god because of the moment he landed in their territory. In the Aztec calendar, the equivalent to 1519 was the year 1 Reed.

Was Quetzalcoatl real?

Quetzalcoatl May Be Based on a Historical Person According to a Toltec legend, their civilization (which dominated Central Mexico from approximately 900-1150 A.D.) was founded by a great hero, Ce Acatl Topiltzín Quetzalcoatl.

Who was Quetzalcoatl to the Aztecs?

In Aztec times (14th through 16th centuries) Quetzalcóatl was revered as the patron of priests, the inventor of the calendar and of books, and the protector of goldsmiths and other craftsmen; he was also identified with the planet Venus.

Which Mayan god is Quetzalcoatl similar to in appearance?

Many scholars suggest that Quetzalcoatl of Mesoamerica (also known as the Feathered Serpent), the Maya Maize God, and Jesus Christ could all be the same being. By looking at ancient Mayan writings such as the Popol Vuh, this theory is further explored and developed.

When did the Aztecs realize Cortes was not a God?

Any last illusion that Cortés might be a god vanished when Cortés massacred followers of Quetzalcoatl at Cholula, while still on his way to Tenochtitlan, and when his men massacred the Aztecs later in Toxcatl in May 1519 (picture 6).

Was Hernan Cortez the god Quetzalcoatl?

So, the conjecture written 50 years later was based upon that quote and some remarks by Cortez to the Spanish Crown as to the naiveté of the Aztecs. Some arguments in favor of Montezuma’s belief that Cortez was the god Quetzalcoatl begin with the god’s promise to return after he died in a pyre or sailed off in a boat traveling east.

What happened to Quetzalcoatl in the Aztecs?

According to one of the legends, Quetzalcoatl, who was among the gods of creation, was forced into exile by Tezcatlipoca; another principal Aztec god. Quetzalcoatl sailed away into the Atlantic on a raft made of snakes with a promise to return on his year, the First Year of the Reed (this occurs once every 52 years).

What gods did the Aztecs believe in?

As the story goes, the Aztec believed in a white, bearded god named Quetzalcoatl, who, long ago, had disappeared into the east. Before he left, however, he promised to return. When Cortes and his crew of Spaniards came ashore in Mexico in 1519, many thought they were gods.

Was Hernan Cortes mistaken for a god?

Cortés own letters during the conquest make no mention of being mistaken for or interpreted as a god. Nonetheless, López de Gómara’s version quickly became the accepted story, writes the historian Camila Townsend, even among the post-conquest indigenous peoples.