The Feathered Serpent or Quetzalcoatl represents an icon for Mesoamerican civilizations which could have been since Formative times (1200 BC - AD 250). It is visible and already extended throughout...Show moreThe Feathered Serpent or Quetzalcoatl represents an icon for Mesoamerican civilizations which could have been since Formative times (1200 BC - AD 250). It is visible and already extended throughout Mesoamerica at the moment of arrival of the Spaniards to the Mesoamerican territory. Archaeology has shown that during the transition from Epiclassic (AD 800-1000) to Postclassic times (AD 1000 – 1519), many features changed (Smith and Berdan 2000). Major Mesoamerican centers declined and were abandoned and new centers emerged and gained importance. During this transition the image of a feathered serpent suffers strong cultural and social changes (Ringle et al. 1998). It then becomes related to wind, Venus and a culture hero: Ce Acatl Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl, that ruled in a place called Tollan. In addition to this, a whole new religion developed where priests were ascribed to this cult which is reflected by the construction of pyramids that shows clear representation of feathered serpents like the Coatepantli. To this date, still many questions remain unsolved about this intriguing moment in Mesoamerican archaeology and need to be studied in more detail. This research attempt to interpreted the significance of the feathered serpent in this epoch. The Coatepantli will be taken as an case study.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
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The majority of studies of the Greater Nicoya area of Pacific Nicaragua and Costa Rica have relied heavily upon the assumption that large-scale Mesoamerican migrations took place sometime in the...Show moreThe majority of studies of the Greater Nicoya area of Pacific Nicaragua and Costa Rica have relied heavily upon the assumption that large-scale Mesoamerican migrations took place sometime in the Postclassic period, resulting in the similarity between some styles of pottery and iconography between the two regions. Recently, studies have shown that there is little archaeological evidence to link the two areas, besides the ethnohistorical data and the appearance of the aforementioned iconography. This study examines one of those icons, the quintessentially Mesoamerican figure of Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent, in order to look for evidence that might support either side of the debate.Show less
