The key to their research is " . . . where and how the past still echoes . . . "
No one seems to consider "when" or "why." One should begin by considering the bird
itself. When can only be answered by reading the glyphs on the many monuments
found the Maya lands. Why is more precise. Obviously, there are other
birds with iridescent feathers, even more beautiful than the long green ones of
the quetzal. So, what does the quetzal bird do that is so different from other birds?
In a previous National Geographic article, Steve Winter writes:
During flashy spring courtship displays, the male flies straight up
from the crowns of hundred-foot-tall trees, circles in song, then rockets down,
his train streaming like a comet's tail (June, 1998 6193 pp. 38-39)
Just before striking the earth, the male comes out of his dive and comes to
rest beside his chosen mate. If the female thinks that the dive was impressive
enough (high enough and his descent low enough) she will accept him and they
will find their nest together in the tall trees around them.
Now, if we put the two elements together, the long glistening, iridescent
tail feathers of a plummeting bird which DOES NOT STRIKE THE EARTH, but instead
nests high above the earth in the tall trees, then we have the re-inactment of
the Aztec poem "The Birth of the Fifth Sun."
The whole poem can be found in the Kaye Almere Read's book called Time and
Sacrifice in the Aztec Cosmos.
And the gods all gave their opinion. 10
They said it:
³Like so it will be, this thing.
Like so it will be done.²
Then like so, a person fled from the gods.
Like so, he beat Tecuiiztecatl [the Moon] in the face 15
with a rabbit.
Thus, they wrecked his face.
Thus, they killed his face.
In this way now,
Like so, he appears. 20
(Sahagun¹s Florentine Codex and in ³The Legend of the Suns:² (FC.bk 7, pt 8,
chap 2:3ó9, app 42.58; Codex Chimalpopoca 1992a. 147ó49 or 1992b, fols. 77:27ó78:23)
The poem, in its entitrety, is a description of a sun [that upon nearing the
earth] that did not move for a long time. The god (comet) who defeated the moon
was Ehécatl, the Great Wind. Tecuiiztecatl, the moon, was the contender
for the sun but failed because of fear. In the beginning of the poem, he was
afraid to enter the "over of the Gods" so he lost his chance to become a great
SUN in the heavens. Instead he became the follower of the true Sun, the lesser
star in the sky. He with all his expensive decorations, became the reflector of
the same: the diseased and pock-marked star in the sky. The Quetzal bird of the
heavens with its long iridescent tail which reflected the sun as it plummeted
ALMOST to the earth, but veered off and hit the moon instead.
The above paragraph tells us two things: that the astronomers of Meso-America first,
knew that the light of the Moon was only a reflection of the Sun. And secondly,
it tells us that the ever changing spots on the face of the sun was known to
those astronomers. It seems that they were also aware of the Doppler effect of
light waves being blue as the comet approached the earth and burning bright red
as it receded and sped to the moon. Of course, they did not call it the Doppler
Effect. They were not technically perfect astronomers with super telescopes and
widgets. But they had years of viewing experience to fall back on. Still, it is
strange, that with all the written evidence at our disposal, we are still looking
at the skies and saying: "We wonder where and how?"
Why does the elusive quetzal, also known as
the kuk, deserved homage?
The bird is a local bird in the isolated cloud forests of Central America. Yet,
its feathers, along with jade, were among the most precious
commodities in Mesoamerica. To the Maya and Aztecs, the quetzal's
emerald green iridescent tail feathers were more valuable than
gold.