QUETZALCOATL
Our task was to create an illustration based on the theme of the "feathered serpent," including a temple, statues, and a daytime ambiance. The goal was to refine our visual clarity, explore depth of field, and practice drawing rocks and foliage. The style of the rendering was open, provided it was not too cartoonish.
Illustration
School Project · 2021
Context
A Bit of General Knowledge
Quetzalcoatl, translated in Nahuatl as "Feathered Serpent," is a major pre-Columbian deity in Mesoamerican religion and art, venerated by the Aztecs, Maya, Mixtecs, and especially the Toltecs.
As the god of wind, air, and learning, Quetzalcoatl invented the calendar, the arts, and agricultural techniques. He was associated with the cycles of time, climate for maize cultivation, dawn, and dusk. He created mankind by mixing his blood with human bones retrieved from Mictlan. Visually, Quetzalcoatl resembled the Quetzal birds, with green and blue plumage, long tail feathers, and a crest, often associated with the color white. In human form, he was a wise and benevolent king of Tula, exiled after committing a sin.
When Cortés arrived in 1519, the Aztecs believed that Quetzalcoatl had returned. The worship of this deity blended with Christianity, sometimes assimilated with Jesus or Saint Thomas, and was integrated into some Christian ceremonies, while still maintaining its place in rituals of the solstices and equinoxes.
Production
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Final Illustration
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