The Resplendent Quetzal

     Revered throughout history as a messenger of the gods, the quetzal was considered a sacred being and its tail feathers more precious than gold.

The Quetzal is the National Bird of Guatemala and also the namesake of their currency.

The ancient Toltec god Quetzlcoatl is half quetzal bird, half serpent. Perhaps the correlation was drawn from the unusually long, green tail feathers of the quetzal. When in flight the movement of the bird is not unlike that of a snake.                                                                

The Aztec Emperor Montezuma mistook the arrival of the Spaniards as the glorious return of the “Plumed Serpent” Quetzlcoatl according to ancient prophecy.

The great Mayan Temple Kukulcan in the ancient city of Chichen Itza is built with the image of Quetzlcoatal descending the steep steps. New evidence suggests that the temple may have been built in order to imitate the sound of the sacred quetzal. By clapping loudly and standing directly in front of the temple, the resulting echo is acoustically identical to the chirp of the quetzal!

Only ancient royalty were ever permitted to wear the feathers of the quetzal. The long tail feathers often adorned the headdresses of ancient Kings. The doomed Emperor Montezuma allegedly wore a cloak made from over 700 hundred prized feathers.

Today the Resplendent Quetzal remains an endangered species, threatened by the shrinking of its native habitat. To learn more about the Quetzal visit www.cloudforestalive.org .