Does the pyramid of
Xochicalco tell the history of Atlantis?
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| The pyramid of the feathered serpents at Xochicalco, as seen from the front, with the main stairway facing West. [Photo by Author] |
Does the pyramid of Xochicalco tell the history of Atlantis? This apparently outlandish claim
first appeared in the works of British-American antiquarian and amateur archaeologist
Augustus Le Plongeon (1825 – 1908) around the year 1880. A fervent believer in the
history of Atlantis himself, Le Plongeon believed the Maya area to be the true
cradle of civilization, which then spread from there to ancient Egypt and the
Mediterranean world, through the fabled lost continent. Nowadays, Le Plongeon is
mostly remembered (other than for his
priceless collection of early photographs and daguerreotypes of ancient Maya
sites) for his fanciful translations of the Troano (Tro-Cortesianus) codex, which he
also believed told the history of the destruction and sinking of Atlantis. [1]
Le
Plongeon also took a keen interest in the so called “Pyramid of
the feathered serpents” at Xochicalco, which resulted in the
publication of a posthumous book in 1914, with the title “The Pyramid of
Xochicalco”.
Although
the translation provided for the glyphs, at a time when Maya and ancient
Mesoamerican studies where still in their infancy, is no less fanciful than the
one he made of the Troano codex, many authors have ever since quoted his claims to support the most various theories.
As
Le Plongeon’s interpretation of Maya writing has been now thoroughly
discredited and dismissed as a romantic flight of fantasy (at best),
still the question remains. What is the message of the pyramid of Xochicalco?
And more important, is it somehow connected to Atlantis?
The pyramid of Xochicalco
The ancient site of Xochicalco,
in the highlands of Morelos and a short drive from the state’s capital of
Cuernavaca, is visited by hundreds of tourists every day. Its present name was given to it by the Aztecs, meaning “Hill of Flowers”.
Between 650 and 900 AD, Xochicalco was one of the major city-states in central
Mexico that tried to fill the power void left after the fall of Teotihuacan.
The
major ceremonial center was built around that time as a large acropolis occupying the summit of a natural eminence. Among the many remains of monumental
architecture at Xochicalco are several pyramids, three ball court games, as
well as palaces and residential areas occupied by the priests and the nobility.
Massive stone walls surround the site, forming the terraces of the acropolis, a clear hint to Xochicalco being also an
important military stronghold.
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| The "plaza of the two glyphs" at Xochicalco. The name comes from a stela bearing the glyphs "10 reed" and "9 eye of reptile". The plaza was built on a set of artificial terraces and faces the largest pyramid at the site, a massive stepped pyramid, built in the typical Talud-Tablero Teotihuacan style. [Photo by Author] |
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| Another view of the main pyramid, as seen from the plaza of the two glyphs. The very broad stairway in the front was one of the few monumental accesses to the acropolis. [Photo by Author] |
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| Some of the artificial terraces and retaining walls of the main acropolis. A fortified site, Xochicalco occupied a very strategic position along the major trade routes connecting the two Oceans - the Pacific and the Atlantic - across the Mexican highlands. [Photo by Author] |
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| All the main entrances to the acropolis were closely guarded. Guard posts were placed at all the main entrances. Some very intense fighting seems to have taken place at this particular spot, where about 20 human skeletons were found under the collapsed roof of the main gate house; probably the consequence of a fire started by the attackers. [Photo by Author] |
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| Another view of the impressive system of artificial terraces and fortifications leading up to the acropolis of Xochicalco. The summit of the hill was artificially leveled in order to create a large platform that served as the foundation for several smaller pyramids and temples, and also housed large palace structures. [Photo by Author] |
The
reasons of the fall and abandonment of Xochicalco might never be known or fully
understood. Certainly, the city had a violent ending around 1100 AD, with
extensive traces of burning and looting. Whether that was the work of foreign
invaders or the product of an internal revolt of the lower classes against the
ruling elite, is still the matter of considerable debate. In support of this
later interpretation, all signs of violent devastation seem to be limited to
the elite areas of the city and the acropolis,
whereas the lower class residential areas would seem to have been largely spared.
After its sudden abandonment, the city was never reoccupied and survived as a
ruin until its modern rediscovery.
The
building at Xochicalco that has most attracted the interest of antiquarians and
archaeologists, ever since colonial times, is the so called “Pyramid of the Feathered Serpents”, occupying a privileged
spot on the acropolis. Already in 1810, Baron
Alexander von Humboldt was very moved by the ruins of Xochicalco. Even earlier still, in 1791, José Antonio de Alzate y Ramirez (1737-1799), a clergyman, had published a
first sketch of the site, accompanied by drawings of the bas-reliefs
decorating the main pyramid, which he took for a military building. Dupaix also
published many very fine drawings of the pyramid and the site (after Castañeda)
in his monumental Antiquités Mexicaines (1805),
which made the ruins of Xochicalco known for the first time to the general
public outside of Mexico. Notwithstanding the extensive restoration works carried out in 1910 by
Leopoldo Batres, the pyramid doesn’t seem to have suffered any major damages
from those early times, with most of the original stones of the first two platforms still remaining in situ.
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| Another view of the pyramid of the feathered serpents, on the main acropolis of Xochicalco. The pyramids is roughly square at the base, with each side having a length of about 20 meters. [Photo by Author] |
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| A view of the Acropolis of Xochicalco, from the top. The pyramid of the feathered serpents is to the left. [Photo by Author] |
The
Pyramid of the feathered serpents, or Pirámide de las serpientes
emplumadas, as it is known in Spanish, is unique in all of
Mesoamerica for being built of large, megalithic basaltic stones, all covered
in exquisite bas-relief carvings. An earlier stage of construction is also visible
within the now exposed core of the pyramid, although lacking the fine
bas-reliefs.
Feathered snakes, lost cities and the Lords of Time
The pyramid has an East-West
orientation, with the main stairway facing the setting sun, and consists in its present state of two
superimposed bodies arranged in the typical Talud-Tablero
Teotihuacan architectural style. It measures 19.6 by 21 meters at the base, and
while the lower level survives almost intact, the upper frieze band is highly
fragmentary.
Only few decorated stone blocks remain of the actual temple, occupying the
second level. Several more decorated stones have not yet found a collocation
within the partially restored pyramid, and now lie quite chaotically in a small
storage area to its side.
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| An artist's impression of how the pyramid of the feathered serpents might have originally looked like (After Brantz Mayer, 1847, Mexico as it was and as it is). Brantz Mayer quotes José Antonio Alzate as stating (in 1777) that "no more than twenty years before, the five terraces of which it consisted were still perfect", but that the work of destruction started by some local farmers had left barely the first terrace and part of the second intact. |
The
most striking feature of the bas-reliefs that decorate the lower portion of the
pyramid is the undulating serpent motif occupying three of its four sides, a
total of 60 meters in length.
The
serpent is clearly a symbol of Quetzalcoatl, the legendary culture hero and
civilizing god, and this is reinforced by at least two attributes: the cut snail
glyph, believed to represent the Wind (in the image of Quetzalcoatl as Ehecatl, the god of Wind), and the glyph 9 “eye of reptile”, itself one of the calendric names of
Quetzalcoatl. The coils of the snake are also suggestive of the
waves of the Sea, an imagery which is reinforced through the analogy with the
pyramid of the feathered serpents at Teotihuacan, itself considered to be the prototype
of the one at Xochicalco. At Teotihuacan, the marine imagery is further stressed by
the presence of different types of seashells among the volutes of the snakes;
which are also recalled at Xochicalco in the form of the cut sea snail glyph
(itself the most recurring glyph on the pyramid walls).
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| The feathered serpent motif on the outer walls of the pyramid of Xochicalco. The serpent appears multiple times on all the four sides of the pyramid, and might be interpreted as a symbol for comets and recurring catastrophes. [Photo by Author] |
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| The same figuration appears on the Southern face of the pyramid. A seated figure, possibly Quetzalcoatl himself in human form, is being carried above the waters on what might be interpreted as a boat of snakes, accompanied by the glyph of the wind. Behind his shoulders, what appears to be a flaming temple on an island is hit by a giant wave and submerged by the waters, again symbolized by the cosmic serpent. The depiction of the sacred island is accompanied by the glyph "9 eye of reptile", associated with the Wind and with Quetzalcoatl as the god of Wind. [Photo by Author] |
According
to some interpretations, the giant snake is highly suggestive of a global cataclysm.
Astronomers William Napier and Victor Clube argued in their books The Cosmic Serpent and The Cosmic Winter
that the mythical imagery of sky serpents and dragons, which is found
throughout the world, was in fact a metaphor the ancient astronomers used for
comets. [2]
There
is also abundant evidence of the association of Quetzalcoatl with comets. In
its starry aspect, Quetzalcoatl was associated with the planet Venus, being the
brightest “star” in the night sky. Venus was often referred to as the “smoking
star” [3], a name that the ancient Mexicans
also associated to comets [4]. This makes
Quetzalcoatl also an astral deity, somehow associated with wind, fire, the
planet Venus and comets (as well as, interestingly, with water).
The
other most recurring imagery on the lower band is a curious set of glyphs,
appearing a total of 6 times within the coils of the snake. This set of
glyphs contains the calendric date “9 eye of reptile”, also associated with
Quetzalcoatl, surmounted by what appears to be a temple from which emanate large
tongues of fire. Interestingly, a glyph in the shape of a volute, emanating
from the serpent’s tail, appears to be hitting the temple as a giant wave. Similar
volutes are also to be seen underneath the temple, as if the intent of the
artist was to represent the construction sinking underneath the waves.
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| An enlarged detail of the glyph combination that we suggest might represent the original homeland of the gods, the "Island of the Winds", in its final moments before its sinking. Great flames rise from the temple on top, while the wave-like symbols underneath it might suggest the idea of it sinking or being submerged by the waters. The tail of the cosmic snake takes the form of a giant wave, hitting the temple from the East. The glyph "9 eye of reptile", inserted within a cartouche, might hint to the original name of the island as the "Island of the Winds". [Photo by Author] |
The
overall picture is a highly suggestive of a fiery catastrophe terminating in a
giant flood that consumed the original homeland of the gods.
A
seated figure, possibly Quetzalcoatl himself in human form, is depicted 10
times among the volutes of the snake. The posture, with the legs crossed, and the
hand gestures are highly reminiscent of Maya royal iconography, and there are
words coming out of the mouth of the seated figure in the form of speech. It is
as if the figure was being carried by the waves - that is, the serpent coils –
on top of what might be interpreted as smaller serpent or snake-like forms in
the shape of the letter S. There might be a connection here with the legend of
Quetzalcoatl sailing across the ocean towards the setting sun on a boat of
snakes. There is also a curious resemblance with the Olmec Monument 19 of La
Venta, dating between 1200 and 800 BC and considered the earliest known
representation of the feathered serpent in Mesoamerica.
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| Another enlarged detail of the seated figure, whom we might interpret as Quetzalcoatl in his human form. The curious shapes underneath the figure resemble the "boat of snakes" that the legend associates with the departure of Quetzalcoatl from Tollan. [Photo by Author] |
The
upper frieze, occupying the tablero
portion, shows a number of similarly seated features accompanied by the same
enigmatic set of glyphs. These figures have been called the “Lords of Time”, as
they bear attributes usually associated with the year. There were probably 22
of those, but the sequence is fragmentary, with many of the original stones
missing. They all seem to carry a sort of bag, again highly reminiscent of the
iconography found on the Monument 19 of La Venta. To their right, is a glyph showing of
a circle divided into four quarters, with an open jaw to its side. There is no agreement about the
meaning of those glyphs, but they seem suggestive of place names.
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| A detail of one of the "Lords of Time" depicted on the lower Tablero. The seated pose is similar to that of Quetzalcoatl in the lower Talud, but the human figure here now carries a headdress with the trapeze and ray sign for the year, and a curious "bag" in his left hand (compare with the Olmec bas-relief below from La Venta). The open jaws with the circle divided in four are conventional signs believed to accompany important place names. According to our interpretation, this section should be read as a list of the cities founded by the gods after the deluge that destroyed their insular homeland. [Photo by Author] |
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| One of the earliest depictions of the feathered serpent from Mesoamerica. Dating between 1200 and 800 BC, the so called "Monument 19" of La Venta shows a figure wearing an elaborate headdress, seating within the coils of a giant snake and carrying a highly enigmatic "handbag", which finds its parallel in the bas-reliefs of Xochicalco. [Photo by Author, Museo Nacional de Antropología, Mexico City] |
The
bas-reliefs of the uppermost surviving registry, comprising the second layer of
the pyramid – or what was possibly the inner temple chamber – are too
incomplete to hazard any kind of reconstruction. Again there appear the usual
seated figures with their legs crossed, wearing some sort of large hats or
turbans and a carrying a staff. The interpretation of these figures as
military lords is reinforced by the set of three arrows and a shield that they
carry in front of them. Unless, of course, these items have a different
ritualistic meaning that we do not yet understand.
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| Some of the glyphs and bas-reliefs that decorate the upper portion of the pyramid, possibly the depiction of military Lords or deified ancestors. [Photo by Author] |
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| Each one of the great Lords depicted on the uppermost surviving level of the pyramid is shown as carrying a staff of command, with a set of arrows and a rectangular shield covering the chest. The headdress, similar to a large turban, is also very peculiar. [Photo by Author] |
Another
glyph in particular – one of the few surviving from the upper portion – deserves attention.
It shows what would look like a man with only the head emerging from the water –
again more imagery associated with the idea of a deluge.
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| This glyph, from the South-East corner of the pyramid, shows a man of which only the head is visible above the water. Yet another depiction of a deluge? [Photo by Author] |
The conventional interpretation of the glyphs
Although there is no agreement
among scholars on the meaning of the bas-reliefs and glyphs of the pyramid of
Xochicalco, two main interpretations have emerged; that of a genealogy of
rulers and of a correction to the calendar.
The
genealogy of rulers interpretation is quite straightforward in that it sees in
each one of the seated figures the representation of a lineage of kings, connected by the symbol of
the feathered serpent and each one accompanied by a date glyph. This is a
rather simplistic explanation of the very complex symbolism of the pyramid
bas-reliefs, and does not moreover account for the hundreds of other glyphs and
carvings that do not seem to be associated with the images of the assumed
rulers or kings.
The
second hypothesis of interpretation is based on a specific tablero
located to the left (North-East) of the main access stairway of the pyramid. In it, a glyph is found which can be
interpreted as the date “5 Calli” or “5 House”, which is tied by means of a rope to another date
glyph “11 Ozomatli” or “11 Monkey”.
This is somehow interpreted as the “pulling” of a date, that is to say, a
recalibration or adjustment to the sacred calendar. The pyramid would therefore
represent (and was built in order to commemorate) an astronomical conference, or
a meeting of the “Lords of Time” from all over Mesoamerica in Xochicalco to decide
on the calendar correction – that is, as the calendar had apparently gone out
of sync with astronomical observations. This event is believed to have occurred sometime around the year 743 AD, when
the pyramid was dedicated. This interpretation was first suggested by Enrique
Juan Palacios in 1920, and later supported by renowned archaeologist Roman Piña
Chan in his doctoral thesis in 1970.
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| A particular of the combination of glyphs from the left Tablero, in which the calendric glyph "5-Calli" appears to be pulled by the glyph "11-Ozomatli" by means of a rope. This is commonly interpreted as the depiction of a calendric correction or adjustment, but this interpretation is by no means certain. [Photo by Author] |
Starting
from the 1970s, however, skepticism started to emerge in the academic community
towards this reading of the glyphs. Hanns J. Prem (1974), firmly denies this
interpretation, and the whole subject of the glyphs of
Xochicalco seems to have become the matter an archaeological taboo ever since. In a 1994 article, Mexican archaeologist
Ruben Morante Lopez goes as far as saying that since then “The majority
of studies on the Mesoamerican calendar and the history of Xochicalco barely
mention the tablero, and do not dare to take a stance on the very tricky matter
of the interpretation of those glyphs”. [5]
An alternative interpretation
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| Another view of the pyramid of the feathered serpents, on the main acropolis of Xochicalco. The relative position of the different superimposed levels can be easily appreciated, as well as the sequence of the main bas-reliefs. [Photo by Author] |
Here I will propose an
alternative interpretation of the glyphs and bas-reliefs based on the idea that
the pyramid of Xochicalco contains a mythical account of historical events,
which does not by itself exclude other interpretations of portions of the
glyphs as related to the sphere of astronomy or to the calendar.
Lower Talud
As noted earlier, the cosmic serpent, itself
the most prominent feature on the pyramid, can be interpreted as the metaphor
for a comet and a deluge (the undulating
movement) – the two being possibly interconnected – and might
therefore be taken as the symbol of a global catastrophe. The obsessive
repetition of the same motif on the four faces of the pyramid could, in turn, hint at the cyclical nature of such global catastrophes, brought by comets or
other celestial bodies.
The
flaming temple, overthrown by the waves and sinking in the waters appears to be
an allusion to a lost “Land of the Gods”, identified by the glyph “9 eye of reptile”, and associated with wind and Quetzalcoatl
(as the god of wind). The name of this mythical island might have been therefore
“Island of the Winds” if we take the
glyphs for their literal value. This is
again obsessively repeated for a total of 6 times on 3 of the 4 sides of the
pyramid.
A deluge seems therefore to have been responsible for the final
destruction and sinking of the island of the gods, after it was first hit by a
fiery catastrophe (the high flames rising from the temple) possibly caused by
the impact of a large celestial body, such as a comet.
The
seated figures (10 in total), could represent the survivors from this
catastrophe leaving towards the different cardinal directions and spreading
into the world, carried by the waves (on what appears to be a boat of
snakes, again reminiscent of the legend of Quetzalcoatl). This company of gods
or demi-gods, whose leader can be identified as Quetzalcoatl – the feathered
serpent – (himself depicted in a sort of “boat” on the sides of the main
entrance stairway), was probably at the origins of the city of Xochicalco, or
seen perhaps as a mythical ancestor to the city’s royal lineage.
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| A detail of the right Tablero, towards the South-West corner. A rather curious glyph amid the coils of the snake is believed to represent the figure of a "Sky bearer", carrying upon his shoulders a starry sky glyph. [Photo by Author] |
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| A general view of the Southern side of the pyramid of the feathered serpents, as taken from the South-West corner. [Photo by Author] |
Lower Tablero
The frieze occupying the entire
length of the Tablero of the lower platform would have originally contained 22 depictions of the “Lords of Time”,
each one associated with a specific glyph indicating a place name. This could
be interpreted as an account of the mythical foundations of the gods, a list of
cities founded by the same company of gods depicted in the lower Talud upon
their arrival in Mexico. Each one of these “Lords of Time” carries a peculiar
bag, which might be interpreted as a bag containing the metaphorical seeds of
civilization, or a symbol related to the introduction of agriculture – itself one
of the gifts of civilization brought by Quetzalcoatl to ancient Mexico. The peculiar hat that they seem to be
wearing contains the symbol of the year, in the tradition of
Teotihuacan, a symbol usually associated with great Lords, and perhaps with
astronomy. There also seems to be a snake head coming out from the front.
Interestingly, each one of these figures seems to be wearing some sort of “goggles”
or “eye-glasses”, itself a symbol commonly found in ancient depictions of
Tlaloc, the god of rain. Perhaps more curious, the strange figures appear to be
bearded.
Upper Talud
This whole section is very
fragmentary, but contains depictions of what are usually interpreted as
military Lords, each carrying a staff, a shield and a set of three arrows.
These might be the lords of Xochicalco and other places, who inherited rulership
over the land directly from the gods. The very complex symbolism and glyphs
associated with this figures suggests however there might be something else. One
interpretation is that the figures on this level of the pyramid have to do with
the “gifts” of the gods, which might explain the vegetal motifs of what appear
to be crops, the calendric glyphs as well as the other animal figures. So
far, there are not enough elements to attempt a satisfactory interpretation of
this section of the pyramid.
A monument to the end of times?
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| In this famous mural by Diego Rivera, in Mexico City's Palacio Nacional, Quetzalcoatl is depicted as a civilizing god, the inventor of writing and of the calendar, the god who taught men how to cultivate crops, to wear clothes and live in cities. [Photo by Author; Palacio Nacional, Mexico City] |
If the above interpretation is
correct, then the pyramid of Xochicalco might be interpreted as a monument
erected to commemorate the mythical ancestry of the lords of Xochicalco, descendants from a company of gods that were the sole survivors of
a cataclysm that destroyed and sunk their primeval homeland, the “Island of the Winds”. This cataclysm appears to be related
to the impact of a comet or another celestial body, and there is moreover a
suggestion of cyclical or recurring cosmic events. In this sense, even the
calendric glyphs on the pyramid of Xochicalco might be interpreted as referring
to some recurring astronomic event, perhaps the passage of a comet, which was
believed to cyclically bring devastation to the world.
The
story goes on with the arrival of this company of gods, the “Lords of Time”, to Mesoamerica, where they founded a number
of cities and temples, taught agriculture, astronomy and the arts of
civilization to the still primitive inhabitants of the valley of Mexico, and
also established a lineage of kings to whom the rulers of Xochicalco and other
places in Mesoamerica traced back their ancestry and, ultimately, their divine right
to kingship.
A leap to the other side of the Atlantic
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| A page from the Codex Boturini, showing the mythical migration of the Aztecs from their ancestral homeland of Aztlan, the "place of whiteness" or the "place of reeds and herons", here depicted as an island in the middle of a sea or lake. [Museo Nacional de Antropología, Mexico City] |
This story, if correct, bears
some remarkable similarities to other cosmological myths of a global cataclysm
from across the Atlantic, particularly to the famous Edfu
building texts. The
similarities are so striking that one might be induced to think that the pyramid
of Xochicalco and the Edfu building texts do indeed tell the same story.
The
Edfu building texts are a collection of
hieroglyphic writings found on the outer walls of the Ptolemaic temple of Edfu,
in Egypt, dating to the 2nd Century BC. No doubt, however, the Edfu
building texts were copied after some much older material, possibly dating to
the Old Kingdom. The story told in these ancient Egyptian texts is almost
identical to the one represented on the walls of the Mexican pyramid of
Xochicalco.
This
corpus of texts, which has only been
partially translated, also seems to refer to a primeval abode of the gods,
which was destroyed in a violent cataclysm and was later submerged. The
similarities, however, don’t stop here.
In
the Edfu building texts, this primeval “Land
of the gods” is depicted as an island, variously called “Island of
Creation”, “Island of Trampling”,
“Island of Combat”, “Island of
Peace” or “Island of the Egg”,
names that might all possibly relate to mythical events in the island’s history. This
island, the original abode of the gods and seat of the first, mythical ancestor
of the Temple, appears to have been destroyed in a violent attack by a “snake” or “serpent”, which
caused the island to split and sink in the primeval Ocean, causing all of its divine inhabitants to perish.
According
to E.A.E. Reymond, author of The Mythical Origins of
the Egyptian Temple:
“The homeland of the primeval ones […] having been constituted by the
creators themselves, came to its end at a definite moment of the primeval age.
A storm, perhaps, came over the island, during which an attack was made by an
enemy pictured as a snake. The aggression was so violent that it destroyed the
sacred land with the result that all of its divine inhabitants perished”
[6]
Concerning
the “snake” itself, which was apparently responsible for the destruction and
sinking of the island, she adds:
“He refers to a snake, the nhp-wr, the Great Leaping One, who appears to
be the chief enemy of the god […] his feet were pierced and the ground of the
domain was split. This is a clear picture of a disaster” [7]
The
attack was so violent that it caused the primeval island of the gods to sink
and be submerged:
“The primeval water might have submerged the island as a consequence of
a fight, and the island became the tomb of the original divine inhabitants”
[8]
This
serpent, also called in the Egyptian text “The Great Leaping One”
is highly reminiscent of the feathered serpents depicted on the outer faces of
the pyramid of Xochicalco, which can be interpreted as a metaphor for comets. There is also an idea in the Edfu text of recurring catastrophes,
as the text explicitly references multiple cycles of creation and resurrection
of the primeval island.
The
“company of gods” that survived the destruction and sinking of the primeval
island of creation (otherwise known from other Egyptian sources as the Shemsu-Hor – the companions of Horus), seems to have played
a role in the rebirth of civilization after the catastrophe which is very
similar to the one attributed in Mesoamerica to Quetzalcoatl and his companions.
There
is also another striking analogy in the names used to describe the new homeland
of the gods after the catastrophe. The Edfu text mentions that reeds were all that survived of the primeval island of the
gods after its sinking, and that the island itself was covered in reeds:
“The beginning of the first Edfu record does not tell us that the new
generation of creators arriving in the island would perceive the island itself
when the sun shone once more on the primeval waters. It is stated that they saw
only the reeds on the surface of the water” [9]
And
also:
“The Edfu cosmogonical records begin with a picture of the primeval
island where the gods were believed to have lived first…which, in part, was
covered with reeds” [10]
Interestingly,
the mythical capital of Quetzalcoatl after his arrival in Mexico was called Tollan, which in Nahuatl means “the place of
reeds”. Tollan was considered an ancestral place of origin for the
civilizations of Mexico, and was the legendary capital of the Toltecs (meaning “people of the reeds”). The very name of Quetzalcoatl is
often associated with the glyph “Ce Acatl”, or “1 reed”, with the reed glyph appearing several times on the
pyramid of Xochicalco itself.
In
Aztec myths, the original homeland of the Aztec people is named “Aztlan”, a name somehow associated with the color white,
whose literal meaning is “place of herons and reeds”.
One might also find interesting, and it is certainly matter of speculation,
that while the ancient Egyptians located the homeland of the Gods in the far
West, Quetzalcoatl was believed to have come to America from the East, that is
from across the Atlantic. It is on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico that the
earliest known Mesoamerican civilization, the Olmecs, developed, and it is with
the Olmecs that the earliest depictions of the feathered serpents are found.
Perhaps
the pyramid of Xochicalco does not tell the same story as Plato’s Atlantis, but
the parallels with the ancient Egyptian myths from across the Atlantic, and the
Mesoamerican legend of Quetzalcoatl as a civilizing god who came from the East,
all point to a common belief in a primeval homeland of the gods, that was
destroyed and sank in a time beyond recorded history, from which civilization
spread to both the Old and the New World.
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| A panoramic view of the Northern side of the pyramid of the feathered serpents at Xochicalco. [Photo by Author] |
References:
[2] Victor Clube, Bill Napier, The Cosmic Serpent, Faber & Faber, 1982
[3] For instance, Venus is depicted as
a “smoking star” in the Codex Telleriano-Remensis, as well as in the Songs of
Dzitbalche, suggesting a connection between Venus and Comets. See Susan
Milbraith, Star Gods of the Maya: Astronomy in Art, Folklore
and Calendar, University of Texas, 1999
[4] in Nahuatl, “Citlalin
popoca”. Source: Remi Simeón, Diccionario de la lengua
Nahuatl o Mexicana, 17th edition, México, 2004 (1st
Spanish edition 1977)
[6] E.A.E. Reymond, The Mythical Origin of the Egyptian Temple, Manchester
University Press, 1969, p. 113-114
[7] Ibid., p. 113
[8] Ibid., p. 109
[9] Ibid., p. 109
[10] Ibid., p. 59
