Quetzalcoatl
I just read a few articles that make some interesting suggestions about the conversion of the ancient Aztec and Maya to Catholic Christian beliefs during the Spanish invasions of Central Mexico. The theory is that the conquistadors and the Spanish priests had a much easier time than expected converting the Aztec and the Maya because of the many similarities between the figures of Jesus Christ and the Mesoamerican god, Quetzalcoatl. It is claimed that these similarities facilitated conversion because the Aztec and Maya saw belief in Jesus as an extension of things they already knew as opposed to a complete diversion from their traditional beliefs.
To many of the Mesoamericans, Quetzalcoatl was a feathered serpent god who played a critical role in the creation of mankind as well as in daily life. A juxtaposition of Quetzalcoatl and Jesus Christ has revealed the following similarities: a deity playing a large role in the creation of mankind, a deity being a transgressor between earth and sky, a deity associated with the bread of life, a deity assisting the dead, a deity shedding his own blood to save the fate of mankind, a deity dying on a tree, a deity resurrecting and playing a role in the rebirth of the deceased, a deity who is associated with light and the sun, and more.
As with most comparisons of this nature, there has been much written to both support and negate these comparisons (what I’ve written comes from Sigi Frias, Wikipedia, and Brigham Young Univ.) but if you are interested in learning more about Mesoamerican deities, first hand, trips to archeological sites like Teotihuacan near Mexico City and Chichén Itzá in Yucatan are a must.
