a personal name (Quetzal-Feather Serpent); a deity or divine force; also a high priest (see below)
a deity; "Quetzal Feather Serpent" was sometimes paired in opposition with Tezcatlipoca; relates to creativity and fertility; strong association with Ehecatl (wind)
auh in imuztlaioc in miquia in Vitzilobuchtli in jnacaio. auh in quimjctiaia iehoatl in Quetzalcoatl: auh injc qujmjctiaia ie mitl, iacatecpaio conaqujliaia yiollopa = And upon the next day the body of Uitzilopochtli died. And he who slew him [was] the [priest known as] Quetzalcoatl. And [that] with which he slew him was a dart, pointed with flint, which he shot into his heart (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
In izquintin in inteteohuan, in amottàhuan, in amocolhuan, in quimoteotiaya, in Huitzilopochtli, copil, quetzalpatzactli, toçancol, quetzalcohuatl, tepuztecatl, yhuan huel oc miequintin tetica quiximaya quimoteotiaya, cequintin ça çan tlacame, ye o moch mímioque, Mictlan tlayhiyohuia, auh "cuac oc nemia tlalticpac, mococoaya, ciahuia, chocaya, mamanaya . . . àmo huel monòmapalehuiaya, quenin quinpalehuizque, in intech mopalehuilania? canel moch ahuilli, camanalli, çaçanilli, àtle ipan pouhqui" (León, Camino, fol. 12r). Abbreviations have been resolved. = All the gods your fathers and grandfathers used to worship--Huitzilopochtli, Copil, Quetzalpatzactli, Toçancol, Quetzalcohuatl, Tepuztecatl, and still very many others were fashioned out of stone and adored--some were just people, all have died already and are suffering in hell. But when they were still living on earth they used to get ill and tired, they used to weep and become disturbed.... They could not help themselves [so] how could they aid those who sought help from them? Since it is all an idle joke and fable it comes to nothing.
Moteneoaia: ic quinotzaia quetzalcoatl. Nauhcampa oallauh = That which was known as [the wind] was addressed as Quetzalcoatl. From four directions it came (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
Vellatevmatinj catca, ca ça ce in jnteouh qujcemmatia, in qujnotzaia, in qujtlatlauhtiaia, in jtoca quetzalcoatl, in jntlamacazcauh catca, in jnteupixcauh: çan no itoca quetzalcoatl = They were very devout. Only one was their god; they showed all attention to, they called upon, they prayed to one by the name of Quetzalcoatl. The name of one who was their minister, their priest, [was] also Quetzalcoatl (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
ca atlan in jcac ical quetzalcoatl, in jtlatevmatian catca: ypan qujzticac in vei atl, in atoiatl in qujzticac tulla = The house of Quetzalcoatl, which was his place of worship, stood in the water; a large river passed by it; the river which passed by Tula. (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
canmach mjto in tulteca calli? vel tlatlamachtlalilli, vellatoltecavilli, in jtlateumatian catca, in jnteupixcauh catca, in jtoca quetzalcoatl, vellamaviçolli catca. = Wherefore was it called a Tolteca house? It was built with consummate care, majestically designed; it was the place of worship of their priest, whose name was Quetzalcoatl; it was quite marvelous (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
Auh in nehhuātl, ahmō nezzoh, ahmō nitlapalloh. Ca nehhuātl. Ca nitlamacazqui; niQuetzalcōatl = But as for me, I do not have any blood, I do not have any color [i.e., I am supernatural]. I am indeed the priest; I am Quetzalcoatl. (Atenango, between Mexico City and Acapulco, 1629)
momatque, ca iehoatl in Quetzalcoatl Topiltzin, in oacico = They thought that it was Quetzalcoatl Topiltzin who had arrived. (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
techiuh, techyvcux, techima, titlayvcuyaloan: in topiltzin, in Quetzalcoatl = Topilztin Quetzalcoatl created us, formed us, fashioned us; we are his creations. (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
yn omoteneuh Topiltzin acxitl quetzalcohuatl tlilpotonqui, onpohuallonmatlactli xihuitl = And the said Topiltzin Nacxitl Quetzalcoatl Tlilpotonqui had ruled there for fifty years. (central Mexico, early seventeenth century)
in monan, in mota in quetzalcovatl: ca tichalchivitl = thy mother, thy father, Quetzalcoatl, made thee, created thee. (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
in mjtzvenchiuh in monantzin, in motatzin in calmecac mjtzpouh in ochpanoaztli, in tlacujcujliztli ticmochivililiz in tlacatl, in totecujo, in topiltzin in Quetzalcoatl = thy mother, thy father dedicated thee, presented thee as an offering to the calmecac. They assigned thee to the sweeping, to the cleaning for the lord, our lord Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl. (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
quetzalcoatl, tullan tlatoanj catca = Quetzalcoatl was ruler of Tula (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
An extensive discussion describing Quetzalcoatl is found in the Third Chapter of Book 6 of the Florentine Codex. It is said, for example, "in vej naoalli catca" [in huey nahualli catca], "who was a great wizard" in the Anderson and Dibble translation. He was considered a god, dating from olden times at Tula. His temple was very tall but the steps were not deep enough to fit one's full sole. He had a large battered stone for a face (kept covered) and he had a long beard. He had a fancy house made by skilled Toltec artisans out of green stone, gold, coral, shell, turquoise, precious feathers, and large beams. (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
In the Historia Tolteca Chichimeca, Quetzalcoatl is referred to as a "tlacatecolotl" and a "pilli." (sixteenth century, Quauhtinchan)
Quetzalcoatl: yn ehecatl ynteiacancauh yntlachpancauh in tlaloque, yn aoaque, yn qujqujiauhti. Auh yn jquac molhuja eheca, mjtoa: teuhtli quaqualaca, ycoioca, tetecujca, tlatlaiooa, tlatlalpitza, tlatlatzinj, motlatlaueltia. Auh yujn yn muchichioaia: ocelocopile, mjxtlilpopotz, hecanechioale, mizqujnechioale, tzicoliuhcanacoche, teucujtlaacuechcozque, quetzacoxollamamale, ocelotzitzile, icpaomjcicujle, hecacozcachimale, hecaujque, no poçulcaque. = Quetzalcoatl—he was the wind, the guide and road-sweeper of the rain gods, of the masters of the water, of those who brought rain. And when the wind rose, when the dust rumbled, and it crackled and there was a great din, and it became dark and the wind blew in many directions, and it thundered; then it was said: “[Quetzalcoatl] is wrathful.” And thus was he bedight: he had a conical ocelot-skin cap. His face was thickly smeared with soot. He was adorned with (spiral) wind and mesquite symbols. He had a curved, turquoise mosaic ear-pendant. He wore a gold neckband of small sea-shells. He had the quetzal-pheasant as a burden on his back. He had ocelot anklets with rattles. He wore a cotton bone (-ribbed) jacket. He carried the shield with the wind-shell design. He had the curved (inlaid) spear-thrower and also foam sandals. (central Mexico, sixteenth century)
quetzalcoatl, tullan tlatoanj catca = Quetzalcoatl Rey de Tulla (centro de Mexico, s. XVI)
In tlacatecolotl yn quetzalcouatl oquinanquilli oquilhui Couenanihe tlamacazque macamo xitlayocoya ya nican yezqui yn tochan yn tocallitic ticcaaualtizque yn imaltepeuh yn chaneque neuatl nicmati atle tiquillcauaz y notlatoll otitlamace ximouica maquicaquican yn icxicouatl yn quetzalteueyac = El tlacatecolotl Quetzalcouatl le respondió, le dijo: "¡Oh Couenan, oh tlamacazqui! ¡No sufras, aquí será neustro hogar, nuestra casa! Haremos que los habitantes abandonen su pueblo, yo lo sé. No olvides nada de mis palabras, has alcanzado merced; márchate, que se enteren [los toltecas] Icxicouatl y Quetzalteueyac. (Quauhtinchan, s. XVI)