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Heather Howdeshell
HIST 3323
Dr. Whigham
The Legend of Quetzalcoatl: Man or Myth?
From the beginning of the Toltec reign in Central Mexico, the deity Quetzalcoatl has been a central figure in the religion and culture of Mexico. This is undisputed. What can be disputed, however, is Quetzalcoatl's legitimacy as an historical figure. The deity Quetzalcoatl, or the "plumed serpent" is inseparable from the man Ce Acatl Topitlzin Quetzalcoatl, known to be a famous leader in pre-historical Mexican myth. The dissection becomes more difficult still as the Spanish friars introduced Christianity and in an attempt to assimilate the Indians, created a parallel between Indian deity Quetzalcoatl and the Catholic figure St. Thomas. In doing so, the priests hoped to incorporate Indian culture and religion into Christianity. In the process, however, they changed and damaged the pre-Christian notions of the god. What information we have now of Quetzalcoatl must be recognized as flawed over......

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Approximate Word Count: 7435
Approximate Pages: 30 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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