White gods facts for kids
Some people think Quetzalcoatl might have been a "white god."
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| Claims | People believe that ancient Native Americans met European explorers before Christopher Columbus, and that these meetings changed their religions and cultures. |
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| Related scientific disciplines | Archaeology |
| Pseudoscientific concepts | |
The idea of white gods is a belief that white people visited ancient cultures around the world a long time ago. These visitors were supposedly seen as gods.
Some writers have suggested that white missionaries or "gods" came to the Americas before Christopher Columbus. These writers often point to mythology and legends about old gods like Quetzalcoatl. They believe these legends are actually stories about Caucasians visiting these areas, and that these Caucasians were thought to be gods.
Spanish writers from the 1500s said that when conquistadors led by Francisco Pizarro first met the Incas, they were welcomed as gods called "Viracochas." This was supposedly because their lighter skin looked like their god, Viracocha. Pedro Cieza de León first wrote about this in 1553. Other Spanish writers, like Juan de Betanzos, also described Viracocha as a "white god," often with a beard.
However, the very first Spanish writers from the 1500s did not mention the Incas thinking the conquistadors were Viracocha. The idea of Viracocha being "white" is also not found in the original Inca legends. Because of this, most modern experts think the "white god" story was made up by the Spanish after they conquered the area.
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Who Believes in White Gods?
Many people have supported the idea of "white gods" over the years. These ideas are often seen as pseudoscience, which means they are not based on scientific facts.
Early Ideas and Explorers
Rupert Furneaux connected the "white gods" idea to the ancient city of Tiwanaku. Colonel A. Braghine wrote in 1940 that the Kalina people had legends of a white, bearded man named Tamu or Zune. This man supposedly came from the East, taught them farming, and then left. Braghine also claimed that Manco Cápac, an important Inca figure, was a white, bearded man.
The famous Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl also believed that a white race lived in South America long ago. He is known for sailing across the Pacific Ocean in a simple boat to show that ancient people could have traveled far.
Other Writers and Theories
In 1962, archaeologist Pierre Honoré suggested a theory that ancient civilizations in Mesoamerica (like the Maya and Aztec) were influenced by "white men from near Crete."
The writer and treasure hunter Robert F. Marx has written a lot about "white gods." He concluded that white gods appear in stories from almost every native culture in the Americas.
The British writer Harold T. Wilkins took the idea even further. He wrote that a lost white race once lived across all of South America in ancient times. Wilkins also claimed that Quetzalcoatl came from the lost city of Atlantis.
Most modern experts believe that these "white god legends" were created by the Spanish after they arrived. They see these ideas as pseudoscience, meaning they are not supported by real evidence.
Beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Some people who follow the Mormon faith believe that Quetzalcoatl was actually Jesus Christ. Quetzalcoatl is described as a white, bearded figure who came from the sky and promised to return.
According to the Book of Mormon, Jesus Christ visited and taught people in the Americas after he came back to life. He called them the "other sheep" he had spoken about earlier. The Book of Mormon also says that Jesus appeared to people on "islands of the sea" after his resurrection.
Regarding the Mexican legend, LDS Church President John Taylor wrote:
The story of the life of the Mexican divinity, Quetzalcoatl, closely resembles that of the Savior; so closely, indeed, that we can come to no other conclusion than that Quetzalcoatl and Christ are the same being.
This idea was also used by Mormon science fiction writer Orson Scott Card in his story "America".
White Gods and Ancient Astronauts
Some writers who study Ancient astronaut theories or UFOs have suggested that the "white gods" were actually aliens from other planets.
Peter Kolosimo believed that the legends of Quetzalcoatl were based on real events. He claimed that these legends actually describe a group of white people who were born in spaceships. They supposedly moved to Atlantis, and after Atlantis was destroyed, they went to the Americas. There, the "primitive earth-dwellers" treated them as "white gods."
Images for kids
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Some people think Quetzalcoatl might have been a "white god."
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Some people who follow the Mormon faith think that the Izapa Stela 5 shows the Tree of Life.
