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Kukulkan () ("''Plumed Serpent''", "''Feathered Serpent''") is the name of a Maya snake deity that also serves to designate historical persons. The depiction of the feathered serpent deity is present in other cultures of Mesoamerica. Kukulkan is closely related to the god ''Q'uq'umatz'' of the K'iche' Maya and to ''Quetzalcoatl'' of the Aztecs.〔Read & Gonzalez 2000, pp. 180-2.〕 Little is known of the mythology of this pre-Columbian deity.〔Read & Gonzalez 2000, p. 201.〕 Although heavily Mexicanised, Kukulkan has his origins among the Maya of the Classic Period, when he was known as ''Waxaklahun Ubah Kan'' (), the War Serpent, and he has been identified as the Postclassic version of the Vision Serpent of Classic Maya art.〔Freidel et al 1993, pp. 289, 325, 441n26.〕 The cult of Kukulkan/Quetzalcoatl was the first Mesoamerican religion to transcend the old Classic Period linguistic and ethnic divisions.〔Sharer & Traxler 2006, pp 582-3.〕 This cult facilitated communication and peaceful trade among peoples of many different social and ethnic backgrounds.〔 Although the cult was originally centred on the ancient city of Chichén Itzá in the modern Mexican state of Yucatán, it spread as far as the Guatemalan highlands.〔Sharer & Traxler 2006, p. 619.〕 In Yucatán, references to the deity Kukulkan are confused by references to a named individual who bore the name of the god. Because of this, the distinction between the two has become blurred.〔Miller & Taube 1993, p. 142.〕 This individual appears to have been a ruler or priest at Chichen Itza, who first appeared around the 10th century.〔Read & González 2000, p. 201.〕 Although Kukulkan was mentioned as a historical person by Maya writers of the 16th century, the earlier 9th-century texts at Chichen Itza never identified him as human and artistic representations depicted him as a Vision Serpent entwined around the figures of nobles.〔Freidel et al 1993, p. 325.〕 At Chichen Itza, Kukulkan is also depicted presiding over sacrifice scenes.〔Freidel et al 1993, p. 478n60.〕 Sizeable temples to Kukulkan are found at archaeological sites throughout the north of the Yucatán Peninsula, such as Chichen Itza, Uxmal and Mayapan.〔 ==Etymology== In Yucatec the name is spelt ''K'uk'ulkan'' () and in Tzotzil it is ''K'uk'ul-chon'' ().〔Freidel et al 1993, p. 289.〕 The Yucatec form of the name is formed from the word ''kuk'' (feather) with the adjectival suffix ''-ul'', giving ''kukul'' (feathered),〔(Yucatec-English Dictionary at FAMSI )〕 combined with ''can'' (snake),〔 giving a literal meaning of "feathered snake". 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Kukulkan」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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