The White Bearded God | LDS Tours Cancun
The White Bearded God
According to the Popol Vuh, the sacred book that contains one of the most prominent theories about the creation of man we read the following:
“There was only one man, one animal, bird, fish, crab, wood, stone, cave, cliff, grass, forest. Only the sky existed. The face of the earth did not appear; there were only limited seas, the entire space of the sky. There was nothing gathered together. Everything was invisible; everything was still in the sky.
… Then came the Word; came here from the Dominators, the Mighty Sky, in darkness, in the night, it was told by the Dominators, the Powers of Heaven; They spoke: then they took counsel, there was an understanding and joined their words, their wisdom. Then they meditated at the time of dawn; they decided to build the man, while celebrating advice of the production. “[Fray Francisco Ximenes,” Popol Vuh “, Editorial Porrua, Mexico 1978]
Suggesting that the creation was conducted by supreme beings, but who were these supreme beings?
When the Spanish conquistadors arrived in the coasts of Mexico and South America they encountered different tribes of native Indians who shared rumors about the visit of a “Bearded White God”. The same case occurred when English colonists touched Canadian and American territory.
The legends are not accurate, however it is believed that this “White bearded God” came down and taught them many things that allowed the development of their civilization. In other cases it could be considered as the maker and creator of all that exists on the planet.
Mesoamerican cultures worshiped gods like Quetzalcoatl or Kukulkan that means “feathered serpent” whose legend has it that he descended to teach wonders of the universe to the natives, marvels that allowed the flourishing of science as mathematics, astronomy, astrology and other technologies. Leaving his departure a promise to return to visit his people.
An intriguing mystery is the arrival of Hernan Cortez in Mexican lands; the Aztec emperor Moctezuma, and his subjects were peacefully and confidently thrown to his feet even though they were known to be a vicious and warlike people. Could it be that the Europeans majestic armor and strange weapons intimidated them despite the small number of soldiers? Or was it because they believed that this was the fulfillment of the promise of God Quetzalcoatl who would return to continue teaching and ministering and the appearance of Hernan Cortez was outstandingly similar.
But the mystery remains, who were these white and bearded gods? Find out more about these legends visiting Alma’s LDS Tours in Cancun.
Alma’s LDS Tours offers a great variety of tours where you can keep learning more about the history of this and more Mayan culture.
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