Quetzalcoatl's Return

* For Carol Brown's Story Time Contest Feathered serpent was more than an Aztec legend Depicted in multihued native art Sculptures, paintings adorned humid cities Spiritual sketches messages impart Quetzalcoatl, a venerated god Plumed leader was said to have sailed away Prophecies forecast this spirit’s return Devout Aztecs’ hopes soared one Holy Thursday The Aztec natives knew no greed Great joy spread quickly in the Yucatan When eleven Spanish ships reached their land Not Quetzalcoatl, just a European man Aztec leader Moctezuma II believed Hernando Cortez to be their long-awaited god At Moctezuma’s command, bounties were gathered And to the shore, joyful natives did plod 1519, the Cortez armada Greeted by Aztec envoys bearing gifts But Spaniards fired shots at their welcoming party Pious souls ascended through tropical mist The land-grabbing perpetrator’s intent revealed Aggression from one who sought to conquer Paying no heed to Moctezuma’s beliefs Or the spiritual history of Aztec culture Ungodly Cortez enslaved those who remained Defiantly built cathedrals adorned by bells Aztec spirits will rise on Judgment Day To claim seats in heaven while Cortez endures hell If “gods” without honor lack kind hearts And advocate power instead of grace Promoting war and killing of brethren Then surely devotion has been misplaced *The arrival of Hernando Cortez marked the end of a thriving Aztec culture. The natives mistook him for a “god” named Quetzalcoatl who had sailed away promising to return. Quetzalcoatl is pronounced ket-zel-cot-el.