Religion and Bird Series Part I

Hello.
I have decided to write a little mini-series about birds and religion. I have put together a little list of different bird that are connected to religion. I think it is pretty cool. I only have four, so if you have any ideas for other birds that you can think of please let me know. Otherwise this will be the first of a four-part series.

Ahem...

The Quetzal

This is the national bird of Guatemala and was considered sacred by the Mayans and Aztecs. It is a pretty bird. I like its long tail. It is cool because the figure Quetzalcoatl is the Feathered Serpent, the king of the earth and the sky, had visited the central Americas before, and is prophesied to return again. This is who the Aztecs and Moctezuma thought they were meeting when Cortes landed (although some people think that maybe the second coming stuff is a result of the conquistadors bringing Christianity and mixing it into the local religions).
There is a good article about the plausibility of Quetzalcoatl links to Christ written in an article for the Maxwell Institute here. It is a lot more detailed and critical look at the myths than I had ever heard of or read before.
Here are some of the plausible reasons why Quetzalcoatl could be a representation of Christ as a memory of his visit to the Mesoamericans (yoinked from the article):

• A deity playing a role in the Creation
• A deity associated with the bread of life
• A deity assisting the dead by visiting the spirit world
  
• A deity shedding blood to save mankind (Quetzalcoatl spilled his blood on all the bones of the dead, promising them that they would reanimate and live again)
  
• A deity dying on a tree
• A deity resurrecting and being responsible for the rebirth of the deceased
• A personage of light
• Associated with the Sun
  

Also, I think pictures of Quetzalcoatl look pretty cool (all yoinked from Wikipedia. Whatever, don't judge. Wikipedia is a pretty good source.)


This one is my favorite. I like that he is eating
this guy.
I have always like the way the Mayans and Aztecs drew people and animals and everything.So that is all. I got bored of the research part- this is just a blog after all. Read the article on your own and let me know what it says.