Kukulkan

Kukulkan
Kukulkan at the base of the west face of the northern stairway of El Castillo, Chichen Itza
Major cult centerChichen Itza
Equivalents
AztecQuetzalcoatl
IncaViracocha
LencaManaguara
Kukulkan at Chichen Itza during the Equinox.
The Classic Maya vision serpent, as depicted at Yaxchilan.

K’uk’ulkan, also spelled Kukulkan (/kuːkʊlˈkɑːn/; lit. "Plumed Serpent", "Amazing Serpent"), is the serpent deity of Maya mythology. It is closely related to the deity Qʼuqʼumatz of the Kʼicheʼ people and to Quetzalcoatl of Aztec mythology.[1] Prominent temples to Kukulkan are found at archaeological sites in the Yucatán Peninsula, such as Chichen Itza, Uxmal and Mayapan.[2]

The depiction of the Feathered Serpent is present in other cultures of Mesoamerica. Although heavily Mexicanised, Kukulkan has its origins among the Maya of the Classic Period. Little is known of the mythology of this Pre-Columbian era deity.[3]

  1. ^ Read & Gonzalez 2000, pp. 180-2.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference read was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Read & Gonzalez 2000, p. 201.