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Native American Religions


Religions and cults of the indigenous people of the American continent: North American tribes, Aztec, Maya, and other natives.



50 photos
Stone bust of Quetzalcoatl, Aztec, from Mexico, 1325-1521. This sculpture represents the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl. His name in Nahuatl, the language spoken by the Aztecs, means Feathered (quetzal feather) Serpent. The serpent's coils of the sculpture are covered with feathers and the face of the god (or an impersonation) emerges wearing the curved shell ear ornaments characteristic of representations of this god.The cult of Quetzalcoatl was widespread throughout Mesoamerica, although it was known by different names at different periods. While his various aspects and origins are far from clear, Quetzalcoatl is said to have been one of the Aztec creator gods. According to the Aztec creation myth there were four suns or worlds before the present one, each of them created and destroyed in a different way. When the fourth sun was destroyed by floods the gods decided to create a new one. To create a new race of humans, Quetzalcoatl descended to the lower levels of the Underworld. He managed to trick Mictlantecuhtli and retrieved the bones of the people of the fourth sun. With those bones and some of his blood he gave life to the humans that inhabited the present world. Ethno, 1825.12-10.11
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Stone bust of Quetzalcoatl, Aztec, from Mexico, 1325-1521. This sculpture repres...

Pre-Columbian pottery figurine seated with legs crossed and wearing helmet. Chorrera culture. Ecuador; around 1200-500 BCE.
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Pre-Columbian pottery figurine seated with legs crossed and wearing helmet. Chor...

Stone stele depicting Mayan ruler "Kan Boar" ( K'an-Ak, 458-486) holding staff or spear. Maya classic era. Tikal, Guatemala; 5th century BCE.
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Stone stele depicting Mayan ruler "Kan Boar" ( K'an-Ak, 458-486) holding staff o...

Stone stele depicting Mayan ruler Stormy Sky II (Siyaj Chan K'awiil II, 411-456) holding chain. Maya classic era. Tikal, Guatemala; 5th century BCE.
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Stone stele depicting Mayan ruler Stormy Sky II (Siyaj Chan K'awiil II, 411-456...

Stone carving with Maya script inscriptions from Tikal. The Maya script, commonly known as Maya hieroglyphs, was the writing system of the Pre-Columbian Maya civilization of Mesoamerica. Maya classic era. Tikal, Guatemala; 5th century BCE.
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Stone carving with Maya script inscriptions from Tikal. The Maya script, common...

Stone carving with a depiction of what is believed to be rain god Tlaloc. Maya classic era. Tikal, Guatemala; 5th century BCE.
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Stone carving with a depiction of what is believed to be rain god Tlaloc. Maya c...

Huitzilopochtli (or Uitzilopochtli - "Hummingbird of the South") dressed in his war attire. Huitzilopochtli was the Aztec god of war as well as a sun god and the patron of the city of Tenochtitlan. From "Florentine Codex"; Illuminated manuscript; 1570. (The Florentine Codex is a manuscript containing a hand-written version of the encyclopedic account of Aztec society assembled by Bernardino de Sahagun (1499-1590).)
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Huitzilopochtli (or Uitzilopochtli - "Hummingbird of the South") dressed in his...

Statue of the God Quetzalcoatl.His name signifies the "feathered serpent". The god's head emerges from the mouth of the serpent;his earrings with a hook show that he is the god of the winds.Stone,H: 44 cm Depot du Musee de l'Homme Inv.M.H. 78.1.59
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Statue of the God Quetzalcoatl.His name signifies the "feathered serpent"....

A ballgames player. Kneeling on one leg, he throws the rubber ball with his right arm, his rump protected by a wide girdle. The ballgame symbolized the war of the Heavenly Twins against the rulers of the Underworld. Limestone (600-900 CE), 27.6 x 18.1 cm. Inv.24/457
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A ballgames player. Kneeling on one leg, he throws the rubber ball with his rig...

Tlatecuhile,Lord of the Earth. Limestone.
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Tlatecuhile,Lord of the Earth. Limestone.

The God Oxhintok,late classical.
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The God Oxhintok,late classical.

Conquest of the Indian countries of Paraguay,showing the landscape,rivers and a new Spanish church.
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Conquest of the Indian countries of Paraguay,showing the landscape,rivers and...