Serpiente Emplumada
Quetzalcóatl, the feathered serpent, first appeared in early Mesoamérica and is often found in Teotihuacan, Tula, and Tenochtitlan. The Mexicas believed that the god, Quetzalcóatl, transformed into a feathered serpent. Therefore, he was commonly represented as a rattlesnake covered in the green and iridescent feathers of the quetzal, a bird adored by Mesoamericans. In this Mexica sculpture, Quetzalcóatl is covered in feathers, coiled into a tight knot, with a flattened head and a forked tongue.
