Quetzalcoatl (/ˌkɛtsəlkoʊˈætəl/, /ˌkwɛtsəlkoʊˈɑːtəlˌ -ˈkwɑːtəl/; Spanish: Quetzalcóatl pronounced [ketsalˈkoatl] (About this soundlisten); Classical Nahuatl: Quetzalcōātl [ket͡saɬ'koːaːt͡ɬ] (About this soundmodern Nahuatl pronunciation (help·info)), in honorific form: Quetzalcōātzin) is a deity in Aztec culture and literature whose name comes from the Nahuatl language and means "Precious serpent" or "Quetzal-feathered Serpent". In the 17th century, Ixtlilxóchitl, a descendant of Aztec royalty and historian of the Nahua people, wrote, "Quetzalcoatl, in its literal sense, means 'serpent of precious feathers', but in the allegorical sense, 'wisest of men'.