The High-Flying God The Aztecs and Mayans had a god named Quetzalcoatl (sounds like ket- sahl-koh-aht-l). He was the god of winds and rain. His name comes from the Aztec


words quetzal— the green feathered bird— and coatl, which means serpent. He’s a mix of bird and snake. He wears a crown of quetzal feathers.


A Crown of Feathers To the Mayans and Aztecs, the quetzal's tail feathers were more valuable than gold. That’s why they made feather headdresses. They wore them like crowns. The Mayan people loved quetzals. Killing one was not allowed. The punishment 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 shields. It's also on its fl ag and on some postage stamps. The country’s money is even known as the “quetzal.”


TRAILBLAZER


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