Existing comment:
Who used this bird’s tail feathers as money?
Communities in Mexico and Central America used quetzal tail feathers to pay taxes to Aztec rulers. The feathers were also made into headdresses and clothing for royalty and religious leaders. To get the feathers, people caught the quetzal and pulled out its tail feathers. But they let it fly away, and the quetzal’s tail feathers grew back.
The quetzal has been the name of Guatemala’s currency since 1925. This coin shows a quetzal bird and its long tail feathers.
20 quetzales coin, Guatemala, 1926
Gift of Robert Leon Hughes |