The jaguar is America’s largest and most powerful cat, and it has been Mexico’s most enduring iconic animal for over three thousand years. From the Olmec to the Aztec, the jaguar’s depiction may be seen in the art of most ancient Mexican civilizations, sometimes alongside the smaller ocelot and the plain-coated puma. The jaguar has maintained a tenacious grasp on the human imagination in the years following the Spanish conquest, during the colonial period, and even today – among Mexico’s indigenous peoples.
The jaguar is both beautiful and deadly, evoking strong human emotions. This amazing beast, strong and nimble, with razor-sharp claws and deadly fangs, was associated with the traits that made human hunters and warriors courageous and successful. The jaguar was associated with sorcery and magic, and was regarded as the spirit-helper of shamans and sorcerers, as well as the most dazzling symbol of priests and monarchs, as a stealthy silent murderer with a keen sense of smell and the ability to see in the dark with mirrored eyes.
All felines are skilled hunters and natural murderers, but it is how humans interpret these characteristics that gives the jaguar such a particular presence in ancient Mexican art and religion. Animal and human traits were frequently mixed in pre-Columbian periods, before the arrival of the Spaniards, to produce what we now perceive as fanciful creatures with extraordinary strength and magical abilities. It’s no wonder that the Aztecs, Maya, and other ancient civilizations decked themselves with jaguar skins, skulls, teeth, and claws. Carvings, paintings, and statues showing humans dressed in jaguar fur or looking to be half-human, half-jaguar are more than just creative representations; they embody the Aztecs’ and their forefathers’ basic concepts and beliefs.
Images of huge cats (probably certainly jaguars) first appear in the Olmec civilization’s art in Mexico (1250-400 BC). They come from archaeological sites including San Lorenzo, El Azuzul, and La Venta, and are carved as large stone sculptures and small delicate jade figurines. Some are realistic creatures, while others combine a person with a jaguar and add a terrifying growling mouth. What these extraordinary Olmec things may have been, according to myths and legends gathered in indigenous Mexican tribes in recent years.
Whatever features of the jaguar inspired the Olmec, unusual representations like these appear to have a long and hallowed legacy in ancient Mexican art and religion. The jaguar featured in the art of many later civilizations as a symbol of rulership, hunting, conflict, and sacrifice. The jaguar’s beautifully colored pelt was employed as regal apparel for dynastic warrior-kings, as well as a covering for royal thrones, some of which were carved in the style of a feline, as seen in the Maya sites of Palenque, Uxmal, and Chichén-Itzá. Jaguar and maybe ocelot attire and equipment are a stunning addition to images of conflict, victory, and torture in wall murals at the isolated site of Bonampak. Maya hieroglyphic inscriptions related with combat, war prisoners, and human sacrifice include images influenced by the jaguar.
Here is the amazing design inspired by Aztec Mural Art that you should take a look:
AZTEC JAGUAR DEITY MAYA
The best Jaguar deity inspired hoodie designed by Aztec mythology. This is an amazing and beautiful design that will make you feel warm and fuzzy inside. The jaguar symbolizes the power of the sun, strength, bravery, leadership, stealth and cunning.
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