The High-Flying God The Aztecs and Mayans celebrated a god named Quetzalcoatl (sounds like ket-sahl-koh-aht-l). He was said to be the god of winds and rain. His name combines the Aztec


words quetzal— the emerald-plumed bird— and coatl, which means serpent. He is pictured as a mix of bird and snake. He wears a headdress made from the quetzal’s feathers.


A Crown of Feathers To the Mayans and Aztecs, the quetzal's tail feathers were more valuable than gold. That’s why they created feather headdresses and wore them like crowns. These prized possessions were made


by master weavers. Only royal people were allowed to wear them. Quetzals were so cherished by Mayan civilization, that killing one was forbidden. The penalty for doing so was death.


Quite a lot of Quetzals To this day, Guatemala treasures the quetzal. It's the national bird. Its image appears on the country’s coat of arms, its fl ag, and on some postage stamps. The country’s money is even known as the “quetzal.”


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