Quetzalcoatl: Quetzalcoatl, Feathered Serpent God in Aztec Religion, Mythology

Name and Etymology:
Quetzalcoatl
Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli
"Feathered serpent"
Ehecatl-Quetzalcoatl, god of winds

Religion and Culture of Quetzalcoatl:
Aztec, Mesoamerica

Symbols, Iconography, and Art of Quetzalcoatl:
Usually portrayed with his face blackened by soot, Quetzalcoatl was painted with various designs that are supposed to represent the winds. Early representations, though, are of a rattlesnake with wings.

Quetzalcoatl is God of:
Rulers
Winds
Priests
Merchants
Creator God

Equivalents in Other Cultures:
Kukulkan (or Gucumatz), the Mayan translation of Quetzalcoatl
Pueblo Indians in the American Southwest identified winged serpents with water and fertility

Story and Origin of Quetzalcoatl:
It is believed that Quetzalcoatl may have been a real historical figure, originally: a Toltec leader who united different tribal groups in the 8th century CE.

Family Tree and Relationships of Quetzalcoatl:
Associated with Ehecatl
Twin of Xolotl, the evening star
Child of Ometeotl, the divine pair

Temples, Worship and Rituals of Quetzalcoatl:
The earliest known image of Quetzalcoatl can be found on the Temple of Quetzalcoatl located at Teotihuacan and was created in the 3rd century CE. Representations of a snakes with some bird attributes date back to at least 1100 BCE, though. Worship of Quetzalcoatl tended to involve animal rather than human sacrifice and there are traditions that Quetzalcoatl actually opposed human sacrifice — despite his importance, however, this didn't affect the sacrifices done for other gods.

Mythology and Legends of Quetzalcoatl:
As the creator god, Quetzalcoatl mixed his own blood from his penis with clay and bones from mortals who lived during a previous age in order to create the humans of this current age.

Shortly after creating the new race of humans, Quetzalcoatl realized that he had to feed them or they would all die. Fortuitously, he saw Azcatl, a red ant, scurrying by with a kernel of corn in his jaws. Quetzalcoatl immediately asked where such food could be found, but Azcatl refused at first to reveal the secret. After some bullying, Azcatl finally relented and took Quetzalcoatl to Tonacatepetl, where Quetzalcoatl had to transform into a black ant in order to follow Azcatl through the narrow cracks through the mountain. Deep inside Quetzalcoatl discovered a massive store of corn which Azcatl guarded. Quetzalcoatl took some back with him where he and the other gods chewed on the maize to create a corn mash that they could feed to the infant humans, thus allowing them to survive and grow.