{"pk":65605,"title":"From Wanders to Dynasts: Migration and the Legacy of Quetzalcoatl in Mesoamerica","subtitle":null,"abstract":"<p>This paper argues that migration was a key part of how the legacy of Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl spread across Mesoamerica. Instead of viewing his departure from Tollan as exile or failure, this study reframes it as a form of political migration. The movement of Toltec elites was not random or by chance, but structured, as they carried systems of authority, legitimacy, and belief into new regions. Using sources such as the Florentine Codex and Nicholson, this paper shows how this legacy appears in figures like Kukulkan and Nacxit. Ultimately, migration functioned as a powerful political and cultural process that sustained and reshaped Quetzalcoatl’s legacy over time.</p>","language":"eng","license":{"name":"Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial  4.0","short_name":"CC BY-NC 4.0","text":"Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.\n\nNonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.\n\nNo additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0"},"keywords":[],"section":"Articles","is_remote":true,"remote_url":"https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3r94c5mz","frozenauthors":[{"first_name":"Bobby","middle_name":"","last_name":"Escobar","name_suffix":"","institution":"","department":""}],"date_submitted":null,"date_accepted":null,"date_published":"2026-05-07T19:00:00Z","render_galley":null,"galleys":[{"label":"PDF","type":"pdf","path":"https://journalpub.escholarship.org/ucm_mwp_ucmurj/article/65605/galley/50234/download/"}]}