The quetzal is the bird that represents par excellence the heart of pre-Hispanic cultures. With its large plumage and extremely peculiar figure, the quetzal and its imposing plumage are the clear manifestation of untamed nature. But the great figure of the quetzal for pre-Hispanic cultures represents much more than a bird, it is the heart of their culture and worldview. The clear example of this is the constitution of the most famous plume, the Moctezuma plume, which rises with the powerful plumage of this bird. The history of the quetzal is of great value and identity for those descendants of pre-Hispanic cultures.
Quetzalcoatl, the god of the air
In the worldview of the Mayan and Aztec cultures, the quetzal occupied a very important place. This bird with beautiful plumage symbolized the feathered serpent, the great god Quetzalcoatl who was responsible for protecting heaven and earth. Shaped like a snake, but crowned with quetzal feathers, Quetzalcoatl was the god of the air. A deity that appears recurrently as a symbol in the pyramids and representations of both cultures. Perhaps the most famous of these representations is the feathered serpent that descends from the pyramid of Chichen Itza in the middle of the spring equinox.
But another clear demonstration that Central American cultures revered the quetzal is the great plume of Moctezuma, which is made up of the iridescent plumage of this bird. To get the long feathers, they had to capture quetzal specimens and then release them. These birds were sacred to the Mayans and Aztecs, so killing a quetzal was considered an unforgivable crime punishable by death.
The history of the quetzal
Finding quetzal specimens was not a simple task and remains so to this day. These birds of great beauty enter the humid forests where the abundant undergrowth and cloud cover do not allow visibility to quickly identify them despite their showy plumage. For this reason, when the Spanish touched Central American soil, they thought that the existence of the quetzal was based on the imagination of pre-Hispanic cultures. It was not until the 18th century when the naturalist José Mariano Mociño, during a botanical expedition, discovered a specimen of quetzal in the Chiapas jungle.
Later, in 1832, the naturalist Pablo de la Llave was in charge of naming and classifying it for the first time. He was given the genus Pharomachrus from the Ancient Greek pharos, ‘blanket’, and makros, ‘long’. The species in turn received the name moccino from the Spanish naturalist.
Today the quetzal is the national bird of Guatemala and, in fact, the national currency has been named after it. It continues to be of utmost importance for the countries where Mesoamerican cultures once rose with great impetus and left us their roots. The history of the quetzal borders on the mystical and the beauty of nature; its appearance that awakens the unimaginable has been part of the identity of millions of people throughout Central America.