Topiltzin actor

Abstract

This essay analyses the four pages the Annals of Cuauhtitlan that present the life and death of Quetzalcoatl. Bound by a single objective, I review sources concerning Quetzalcoatl taking into account what we know about religious mystery theatre in ancient Mexico, those theatrical representations culminating in the sacrifice of the leading actor and sometimes of the entire troupe. Some authors claim Quetzalcoatl was an historical figure, whereas others sustain he was purely mythological; although he probably was both. The Annals of Cuauhtitlan describe one or more historical representations of a mythological script.