357:
141:
268:
220:, and it was not until late in the fifth century that the Jaguar Paw family returned to power (Coe 1999: 90). Other Maya rulers to incorporate the jaguar name include, Scroll Jaguar, Bird Jaguar, and Moon Jaguar, just to name a few (Coe 1999: 247-48). In addition to the ruling class, the jaguar also was associated with warriors and hunters. Those who excelled in hunting and warfare often adorned themselves with jaguar pelts, teeth, or claws and were "regarded as possessing feline souls" (Saunders 1998: 26).
339:
201:
373:, which will protect the religious figures from evil spirits and while they move between the earth and the spirit realm. In order for the religious authorities to combat whatever evil forces may be threatening, or for those who rely on the religious authorities for protection, it is necessary for some religious authorities to transform and cross over to the spirit realm. The jaguar is often a
180:, who is "the primary lord of the underworld" and often is shown with a jaguar ear or jaguar attire, and atop a jaguar throne (Benson 1998: 64-65). Not only is the underworld associated with the ancestors, but it also is understood as, where plants originate. In addition, the Maya's source of fresh water comes from underground pools in the porous limestone that makes up the Yucatán, called
168:
represented two different worlds. The living and the earth are associated with the day, and the spirit world and the ancestors are associated with the night. As the jaguar is quite at home in the nighttime, the jaguar is believed to be part of the underworld; thus, "Maya gods with jaguar attributes or garments are underworld gods" (Benson 1998:64). One such god is
378:
water, the ability to hunt as well in the nighttime as in the daytime, and the habit of sleeping in caves, places often associated with the deceased ancestors. The concept of the transformation of a religious authority is well-documented in
Mesoamerica and South America and is in particular demonstrated in the various Olmec jaguar
253:. These caches were placed in the pyramids as they were being built, likely as part of a ceremony to dedicate the pyramids. Analysis of the animal bones has shown that while some of the jaguars had been wild shortly before burial, many had lived in captivity for a long time prior to being placed in the dedicatory cache.
167:
sculpture on temples, stelae, and pottery. Often depicted on these artifacts are the gods the Maya revered and it is no coincidence that these gods often have jaguar attributes. As stated earlier, the jaguar is said to have the ability to cross between worlds, and for the Maya daytime and nighttime
211:
No doubt, the jaguar's brilliant coat made it quite desirable, however, not all were allowed to don the jaguar pelt as it became the identification of the ruling class for the Maya. Not only did Maya kings wear jaguar pelts, but they also adopted the jaguar as part of their ruling name, as a symbol
125:
was well known and became incorporated into the lives of the inhabitants. The jaguar's formidable size, reputation as a predator, and its evolved capacities to survive in the jungle made it an animal to be revered. The Olmec and the Maya witnessed this animal's habits, adopting the jaguar as an
377:
because of its strength, for it is necessary that the religious authorities "dominate the spirits, in the same way as a predator dominates its prey" (Saunders 1998:30). The jaguar is said to possess the transient ability of moving between worlds because of its comfort both in the trees and the
353:. In the south-center of Mexico the "danza de los tecuanes" is performed in at least 96 communities. In this region jaguar dances are very popular. There are many variants of jaguar dances. Some of the most popular are the "tecuanes dances", "tlacololeros dances" and "tlaminques dances"
223:
Archeologists have found a jar in
Guatemala, attributed to the Maya of the Late Classic Era (600-900 AD), which depicts a musical instrument that has been reproduced and played. This instrument is astonishing in at least two respects. First, it is the only
321:
The were-jaguar figure is characterized by a distinctive down-turned mouth with fleshy lips, almond-shaped eyes, and a cleft head similar – it is said – to that of the male jaguar which has a cleft running vertically the length of its head.
302:
figures may range from a human figure with slight jaguar characteristics to depictions of figures in the so-called transformative pose, kneeling with hands on knees, to figures that are nearly completely feline.
228:
known in the
Americas prior to the introduction of European musical instruments. Second, when played, it produces a sound virtually identical to a jaguar's growl. A sample of this sound is available at the
126:
authoritative and martial symbol, and incorporated the animal into their mythology. The jaguar stands today, as it did in the past, as an important symbol in the lives of those who coexist with this felid.
745:
31:
610:
151:
Integration of the jaguar into the sacred and secular realms of the Maya peoples is proven in the archaeological record. The Maya, whose territory spanned the
197:
and fertility by the Maya with what is known as the
Waterlily jaguar, which is depicted as having water lilies sprouting from its head (Benson 1998:64-67).
212:
of their might and authority. One such ruling family to incorporate the jaguar into their name is known as, Jaguar Paw, who ruled the Maya city of
369:
The jaguar is important for certain religious authorities in many
Mesoamerican cultures, who often associate the jaguar as a spirit companion or
279:
The Olmec civilization was first defined as a distinctive art style at the turn of the nineteenth century. The various sculpture, figurines, and
17:
861:
110:, hunting either in the trees or water, making it one of the few felines tolerant of water, the jaguar was, and remains, revered among the
474:
Wild beasts; a study of the characters and habits of the elephant, lion, leopard, panther, jaguar, tiger, puma, wolf, and grizzly bear
159:, was a literate society who left documentation of their lives (mostly the lives of the aristocracy) and belief system in the form of
325:
It is not known what the were-jaguar represented to the Olmec, and it may well have represented different things at different times.
298:, jaguars are rarely portrayed naturalistically, but rather with a combination of feline and human characteristics. These feline
544:"Stable Isotopes and Zooarchaeology at Teotihuacan, Mexico Reveal Earliest Evidence of Wild Carnivore Management in Mesoamerica"
314:"votive axes" and celts, engraved onto various portable figurines of jade, and depicted on several "altars", such as those at
245:
jaguar bones have been found in caches of precious or significant objects, including obsidian and greenstone, in both the
306:
One of the most prominent, distinctive, and enigmatic Olmec designs to appear in the archaeological record has been the "
111:
794:
724:
495:
121:, the jaguar was an important part of religious practice. For those who resided in or near the tropical jungle, the
106:, and one of the most efficient and aggressive predators. Endowed with a spotted coat and well-adapted for the
291:
Coast, reveal that these people knew their jungle companions well and incorporated them into their mythology.
871:
866:
851:
360:
An Olmec transformation figure, thought to show the transformation of a religious authority into a jaguar.
176:
who descended to the underworld, and whose entire body is covered with patches of jaguar skin. Another is
770:
781:
The Gods and
Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya: An Illustrated Dictionary of Mesoamerican Religion
379:
469:
230:
356:
186:. These associations with water and plants further reinforce the notion of the jaguar as a god of
45:
has a long history, with iconographic examples dating back to at least the mid-Formative period of
117:
All major
Mesoamerican civilizations prominently featured a jaguar god, and for many, such as the
311:
56:) is an animal with a prominent association and appearance in the cultures and belief systems of
46:
824:
1999. "Patrons of
Shamanic Power: La Venta’s Supernatural Entities in Light of Mixe Beliefs",
140:
856:
295:
122:
758:
1981. "Jaguar Baby or Toad Mother: A New Look at an Old
Problem in Olmec Iconography", in
555:
205:
152:
8:
250:
225:
559:
786:
716:
709:
662:(1998) "The Lord, The Ruler: Jaguar Symbolism in the Americas." In N.J. Saunders (ed),
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396:
246:
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611:"Aproximaciones a Los Tecuanes, danza-drama de origen náhuatl del Estado de Guerrero"
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90:. Quick, agile, and powerful enough to take down the largest prey in the jungle, the
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99:
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310:-jaguar". Seen not only in figurines, the motif also may be found carved into
288:
542:
Sugiyama, Nawa; Somerville, Andrew D.; Schoeninger, Margaret J. (2015-09-02).
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217:
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834:(1998) "Architecture of Symbolism: The Feline Image." In N.J. Saunders (ed),
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in the fourth century. Jaguar Paw I was ousted by central
Mexicans from
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275:, provisionally dated from 200 BC to AD 600. Height: 56 cm (22 inches)
194:
164:
35:
633:
454:
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187:
169:
156:
87:
64:
30:
338:
318:. Were-jaguar babies are often held by a stoic, seated adult male.
315:
73:
814:
1981. "Congenital Deformities and the Olmec Were-Jaguar Motif",
350:
200:
182:
95:
423:"Predators of Culture: Jaguar Symbolism and Mesoamerican Elites"
391:
349:(and its variants tekuani, tekuane, tecuane) means "jaguar" in
91:
672:(1972) "Olmec Jaguars and Olmec Kings." In E.P. Benson (ed),
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401:
213:
177:
118:
79:
307:
68:
27:
Mythologically significant animal of the Western Hemisphere
333:
769:
329:
Other instances of the jaguar in Mesoamerican cultures
746:
So-Called Jaguar-Human Copulation Scenes in Olmec Art
496:"Food habits of jaguars and pumas in Jalisco, Mexico"
494:
Rodrigo Nuanaez; Brian Miller; Fred Lindzey (2000).
467:
778:
708:
843:
836:Icons of Power: Feline Symbolism in the Americas
664:Icons of Power: Feline Symbolism in the Americas
476:. New York, C. Scribner's sons. pp. 174–195
144:Kukulcan's Jaguar Throne, from the Maya site of
703:
715:. Ancient peoples and places series. London:
487:
609:Bullé-Goyri, Alejandro Ortiz (2005-12-15).
608:
762:, edited by E.P. Benson, Washington D.C.:
236:
632:
622:
585:
567:
461:
256:
711:The Olmecs: America's First Civilization
690:. London: Thames and Hudson: 90, 247-48.
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355:
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266:
199:
139:
29:
700:. London: Thames and Hudson: 64, 75-76.
129:
14:
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193:The jaguar is further associated with
698:Mexico: From the Olmecs to the Aztecs
334:Tecuanes dances in present-day Mexico
155:all the way to the Pacific coast of
862:Mesoamerican mythology and religion
283:from what now is recognized as the
24:
514:10.1111/j.1469-7998.2000.tb00632.x
25:
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43:jaguars in Mesoamerican cultures
204:Aztec jaguar warrior, from the
34:The day sign "Jaguar" from the
18:Jaguars in Mesoamerican culture
602:
535:
526:
421:Saunders, Nicholas J. (1994).
414:
13:
1:
760:The Olmec and Their Neighbors
653:
439:10.1080/00438243.1994.9980264
569:10.1371/journal.pone.0135635
468:John Hampden Porter (1894).
231:Princeton Art Museum website
7:
838:. London: Routledge: 12-52.
666:. London: Routledge: 53-76.
532:Miller & Taube, p. 103.
385:
10:
893:
260:
133:
617:(in Spanish) (8): 93–99.
407:
674:The Cult of the Feline.
624:10.14198/AMESN2006.8.12
294:In the surviving Olmec
237:Jaguars and Teotihuacan
114:who live in its range.
47:Mesoamerican chronology
382:(Diehl, p. 106).
380:transformation figures
361:
343:
276:
257:Jaguars and the Olmecs
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41:The representation of
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296:archaeological record
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241:In the city-state of
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872:Mythological felines
867:Mesoamerican society
852:Animals in mythology
206:Codex Magliabechiano
130:Jaguars and the Maya
112:Indigenous Americans
826:Ancient Mesoamerica
787:Thames & Hudson
717:Thames & Hudson
560:2015PLoSO..1035635S
365:Jaguars and naguals
251:Pyramid of the Moon
226:stringed instrument
816:American Antiquity
750:American Antiquity
615:América sin Nombre
501:Journal of Zoology
397:Underwater panther
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344:
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247:Pyramid of the Sun
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676:Washington D.C.:
427:World Archaeology
342:Tecuanes alpuyeca
271:Clay jaguar from
263:Olmec were-jaguar
153:Yucatán Peninsula
67:, similar to the
63:societies in the
16:(Redirected from
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517:. Retrieved
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470:"The Jaguar"
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744:. 1978. "
273:Monte Albán
243:Teotihuacan
218:Teotihuacán
846:Categories
785:. London:
775:Karl Taube
654:References
634:10045/5702
519:2006-08-08
480:2014-01-19
261:See also:
195:vegetation
165:bas-relief
134:See also:
36:Codex Laud
694:Coe, M.D.
684:Coe, M.D.
670:Coe, M.D.
643:1989-9831
578:1932-6203
447:0043-8243
188:fertility
170:Xbalanque
157:Guatemala
88:Old World
86:) in the
65:New World
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777:(1993).
735:56746987
707:(2004).
688:The Maya
596:26332042
548:PLOS ONE
386:See also
316:La Venta
249:and the
74:Panthera
696:(2002)
686:(1999)
680:: 1-12.
587:4557940
556:Bibcode
351:Nahuatl
347:TÄ“cuani
183:cenotes
100:Central
94:is the
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375:nagual
371:nagual
123:jaguar
108:jungle
92:jaguar
78:) and
877:Olmec
451:JSTOR
408:Notes
402:Wayob
281:celts
214:Tikal
178:God L
161:books
119:Olmec
80:tiger
801:OCLC
791:ISBN
748:".
731:OCLC
721:ISBN
639:ISSN
592:PMID
574:ISSN
443:ISSN
312:jade
308:were
289:Gulf
163:and
69:lion
629:hdl
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506:252
435:doi
102:or
98:in
76:leo
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