Log #8554
Latin: Pharomachrus mocinno
The Resplendent quetzal represents a holy grail for many stuffed bird collectors and it is not hard to see why. This antique example as as good as any in a museum and is in perfect feather. The bespoke all glass case is made in a traditional way-taped together by hand. The resplendent quetzal is the national animal of Guatemala and it appears on the flag and coat of arms of the country. In pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilizations, the quetzal was associated with Quetzalcoatl, the feathered-serpent god of life, light, knowledge and the winds. Its scintillating green tail feathers, thought to symbolize spring plant growth, were venerated by the Aztec and Maya. The Maya also regarded the quetzal as representative of freedom (on account of quetzals dying in captivity) and with wealth (due to the value of their feathers.) Mesoamerican rulers and some high-ranking nobles wore diadems adorned with quetzal feathers, symbolically linking them to Quetzalcoatl. Since the killing of quetzals was forbidden under Maya and Aztec law, the bird was merely seized, its prolonged tail feathers deplumed, and set loose. In ancient Mayan culture, quetzal feathers were considered so precious that they were used as a medium of exchange, leading to the name of the Guatemalan currency, the quetzal.