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Quetzalcoatl, the Maya Maize God, and Jesus Christ

TitleQuetzalcoatl, the Maya Maize God, and Jesus Christ
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2002
AuthorsWirth, Diane E.
JournalJournal of Book of Mormon Studies
Volume11
Issue1
Pagination4-15, 107
KeywordsAtonement; Jesus Christ; Maize God; Maya; Mesoamerica; Popol Vuh; Quetzacoatl; Underworld
Abstract

Many scholars suggest that Quetzalcoatl of Mesoamerica (also known as the Feathered Serpent), the Maya Maize God, and Jesus Christ could all be the same being. By looking at ancient Mayan writings such as the Popol Vuh, this theory is further explored and developed. These ancient writings include several stories that coincide with the stories of Jesus Christ in the Bible, such as the creation and the resurrection. The role that both Quetzalcoatl and the Maize God played in bringing maize to humankind is comparable to Christ’s role in bringing the bread of life to humankind. Furthermore, Quetzalcoatl is said to have descended to the Underworld to perform a sacrifice strikingly similar to the atonement of Jesus Christ. These congruencies and others like them suggest that these three gods are, in fact, three representations of the same being.

URLhttps://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jbms/vol11/iss1/3