The Aztec Word Quetzalcoatl: Quetzalcoatl, an Aztec word meaning "the feathered serpent," was the Serpent God of Mexico, a god of such importance and power that nearly no aspect of everyday life seemed to go untouched by him.

Symbolizing learning, culture, philosophy, fertility, holiness and gentility, he was the best known of the pantheon of gods who appeared throughout pre-Colombian archaeology.

In the days after the fall of the Toltecs, Quetzalcoatl became the symbol of legitimate authority, a kind of coat of arms for any ruler who pretended to power beyond the circuit of his own walls.

The Aztecs considered themselves the descendents of this political tradition, even if Huitzilopochtli had become their primary tribal god.