The quetzal is the bird that represents par excellence the heart of pre-Hispanic cultures. With its great plumage and its extremely peculiar figure, the quetzal and its imposing plumage are the clear manifestation of indomitable nature. But the great figure of 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 plumage that 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 held a very important place. This bird of beautiful plumage symbolized the feathered serpent, the great god Quetzalcóatl who was in charge of protecting heaven and earth. With his serpent form, 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 at the height of the spring equinox.
But another day the clear manifestations that the Central American cultures venerated the quetzal, it 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 a unforgivable crime punishable by death.
Plume of Montezuma
The history of the quetzal
Finding quetzal specimens was not an easy task and it continues to be so to this day. These birds of great beauty, go into the humid forests where the abundant undergrowth and cloudiness do not allow visibility to quickly identify them despite their colorful 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 gender of Pharomachrus from ancient greek pharos‘blanket’, and macros, ‘length’. The species in turn received the name of moccino from the Spanish naturalist.
Today the quetzal is the Guatemalan national bird and in fact, the national currency has been named that way. It continues to be of the utmost importance for the countries where Mesoamerican cultures once rose with great impetus and bequeathed their roots to us. The history of the quetzal borders on the mystical and the beauty of nature, its appearance that awakens the unimaginable has formed part of the identity of millions of people throughout Central America.
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