Kukulkan
/kuːkulˈkɑːn/noun
Kukulkan is a Maya deity, especially associated with a feathered serpent and the famous pyramid at Chichén Itzá.
Did you know?Kukulkan is the Yucatec Maya counterpart of the broader Mesoamerican feathered-serpent tradition represented elsewhere by Quetzalcoatl.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Columbian Maya
Yucatec Maya
K'uk'ulkan
“Feathered serpent; a divine or royal feathered-serpent figure”
Classical Maya period
Maya languages
k'uk'
“Quetzal or precious green feather”
Classical Maya period
Maya languages
kan
“Serpent or snake”
16th Century
Yucatec Maya
Kukulcán
“The feathered-serpent deity recorded in colonial-era Spanish sources”
Modern English
English
Kukulkan
“The Maya feathered-serpent deity and the name commonly used for the Chichén Itzá temple”
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