Representative of the Olmec Snake God Culture

Representative of the Olmec

 Snake God Culture

This sculpture represents a profound aspect of the Aztec universe The feathers represent divine nature or the ability to soar into the sky emphasizing the balance between creation life and death The feathered serpent a type of volcanic rock is a very common dual symbol of Mesoamerican deities This large basalt sculpture dates back to the 15th century and was buried after the Spanish conquest It was rediscovered in 1790 Several feathered serpent statues appear on the building The Aztec feathered serpent god known as Quetzalcoatl is known from numerous ancient Aztec documents

Olmec religion / Monument 19 from La Venta 1200–400 BCE. / the earliest known representation of a feathered serpent in Mesoamerica

Many depictions include the full body and head of a feathered serpent The Teotihuacan temples dating from 200 BC to 700 AD also feature feathered serpent statues In Olmec tradition images of bird-like serpents frequently appear on a variety of artifacts and monuments This composite serpent-like creature known as the Bird-Serpent and Olmec God VII is most prominent on the Feathered Serpent Temple The protruding figure often used in conjunction with the carved heads suggesting the importance of these deities to Mesoamerican culture lies in the architecture and rituals of these civilizations In addition to the feathered serpent

Coiled Serpent, unknown Aztec artist, 15th–early 16th century CE, 

Stone, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, United States

Many other snake deities appear in Mesoamerican pantheons with similar characteristics The feathered serpent is a prominent deity or supernatural being In Olmec art most surviving depictions of feathered serpents such as the monuments at La Venta and the Juxtlahuaca cave paintings are sometimes depicted with feathers often depicting the feathered serpent as a crested rattlesnake Olmec supernatural beings such as the feathered serpent are believed to be ancestors of many later Mesoamerican deities likely sharing at least some of the same heavenly and fertility implications