Claudia Arevalo-Lowe Feb. 18, 1998

As the Myths of creation have played a roll in the development of civilizations, and has been the first thing destroyed by any conqueror, it is somewhat important to take a look at them and determine what else these extinct civilizations have to offer. A glimpse into one of these, is Quetzalcoatl.

Quetzalcoatl was believed to be the Lord of Healing and magical herbs, the symbol of learning, of poetry and of all things beautiful, the Lord of Hope and the brilliant Lord of the Morning Star. He was believed to be the spirit who in the morning brought up the sun. By doing this, he brought forth the beneficent power of the sun god to all humans, animals and vegetation.

Even though Quetzalcoatl was a real person, he was surrounded by myth and given gods’ qualities. He was the king who founded an empire and a way of life which differed from that of other Mexican societies mainly by being more deeply religious. His greater success was to form a confederation of tribal groups under the domination of the Toltec families, who supported a sequence of divine kings, each one of whom was called the Quetzalcoatl, though they also had their own personal names.

After reading about Quetzalcoatl, I cannot help wondering what happened to these very proud people, who through the years , lost their identity and assumed others. What happened to them that not only did they loose their beliefs and religions but sold California, Arizona, New Mexico, etc. to the United States as well.