What Aztec god was associated with wind, learning, and the morning star?

Quetzalcoatl was the Aztec deity associated with wind, learning, and the morning star. His name is commonly translated as “Feathered Serpent,” combining quetzal feathers with the serpent, a powerful symbol of fertility, authority, and cosmic movement in Mesoamerican religion.

Quetzalcoatl had several aspects and names. As Ehecatl, he was the wind god, whose movement could clear the way for rain. He was also linked with Venus, especially its appearance as the morning star, and with knowledge, priesthood, creation, and cultural refinement. In some traditions, he was credited with helping create humanity and obtaining maize for people.

He is often confused with a single, uniform character because later Aztec, colonial, and modern accounts blend different traditions. Quetzalcoatl was worshipped across Mesoamerica in varied forms long before the Aztec Empire. The historical ruler Ce Acatl Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl of Tula is also distinct from the deity, although the two became closely connected in later storytelling.