Hall of Feathers

Feathers fall softly all over the hall like rain. The walls are lined with representations of deities you can tell with varying levels of confidence aren't Tezcatlipoca.

Obsidian Cross says: You can know a person through the people they interact with, but that only tells you so much. And you won't be any scholar of someone if you only see them through their relationship to someone else.

Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl

Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca's status as the most aggressively misrepresented Aztec deities in popular culture extends to their relationship. They are not a god of good and peace vs god of evil and violence duo, why are you trying to reinvent Zoroastrianism with an Aztec coat of paint?

The conflict between Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca marks the end and beginning of eras, but it's a conflict between two nuanced deities, not abstract concepts like order and chaos. Despite what many repeat, Quetzalcoatl is in fact credited in some sources with inventing human sacrifice, the idea he isn't comes from a blatantly post conquest piece of mythohistory.

Even calling them enemies is an oversimplification of Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca's dynamic. They joined forces to create the current world and to bring music to humanity. Their domains sometimes overlap, Tezcatlipoca is linked to wind and Quetzalcoatl to sorcery.

Site Navigation

Temple Grounds

• -Return to the Entrance to review basic site info.
• -Tour the Zoo to see all the animals linked to Tezcatlipoca, there's much more than just jaguars.
• -Gaze at the celestial bodies of Tezcatlipoca in our Observatory.

First Floor

• -Stop by the Museum to learn about the physical objects related to Tezcatlipoca, and how John Dee of all people is connected to him.
• -Visit the Library for books and links to learn more about Tezcatlipoca. This is also where the website's sources are listed.

Second Floor

• -Our Art Studio will show you the iconography associated with Tezcatlipoca in art and how flexible his depictions could be.
• -To see Tezcatlipoca in non-Aztec contexts, including post-conquest ones, you can visit the Embassy.

Third Floor

• -In the Hall of Mirrors you will see Tezcatlipoca's various other names and aspects not covered by other parts of the temple (he has a lot).
• -The Hall of Feathers is where you can see the connections Tezcatlipoca has to other deities, especially Quetzalcoatl. You are here.

Fourth Floor

• -At the Throne Room you can read about the roles Tezcatlipoca played at each level of society.
• -Looking at the Webmaster's Room will tell you more about the person behind this website.

The Top

• -Read about historical rituals and modern honoring of Tezcatlipoca at the Altar.