Kukulkan
/kuːkuːlˈkɑːn/noun
Kukulkan is the Yucatec Maya feathered-serpent deity, also associated with the Toltec-linked figure Quetzalcoatl.
Did you know?The famous serpent of light at Chichén Itzá is produced by shadows cast along the pyramid during the equinoxes, creating the appearance of Kukulkan descending.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Columbian Maya period
Yucatec Maya
K’uk’ulkan
“A feathered-serpent deity; the name combines k’uk’, associated with feathers or the quetzal, and kan, “snake” or “serpent.””
Classic Maya period
Maya languages
K’uk’
“A root associated with feathers and the resplendent quetzal, a bird whose plumage carried elite and sacred symbolism.”
Classic Maya period
Maya languages
Kan
“Snake or serpent; serpents were important supernatural symbols in Maya religion and royal imagery.”
16th Century
Colonial Yucatec Maya
Kukulcan
“The Spanish-transcribed name of the Yucatec Maya feathered-serpent deity.”
16th–17th Centuries
Spanish
Kukulcán
“A Spanish orthographic form used in colonial accounts and later descriptions of Maya religion.”
Modern English
English
Kukulkan
“The conventional English form for the Yucatec Maya feathered-serpent deity and the architectural tradition associated with Chichén Itzá.”
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