Though the image of the “were-jaguar” is nearly pervasive in Olmec sculpture and architecture, the meaning of jaguar iconography for the Olmec tradition remains uncertain. Seems important and probably did Sun, Earth and Fertility. All major Mesoamerican civilizations prominently featured a jaguar god, and for many, such as the Olmec, the jaguar was an important part of shamanism. "To the ancient Indians the jaguar was a symbol of supernatural forces-not a simple animal, but an ancestor and a god." The Jaguar Considered the most powerful earthly predator. National Anthropological Museum Mexico City Olmec Priest with jaguar. It navigated well on earth, air and in the water – the three vital divisions of the Olmec world. The location of this object is hard to pin down due to its probable use as a portable object traveling the trade routes of Formative Mesoamerica. It really depends which Mesoamerican culture you are referencing. The 9 main Olmec gods 1- The jaguar . Both of these cultures worshipped a jaguar god who closely resembled Tezcatlipoca, who used his totem animal to destroy the world in the myth of the Five Suns. Tezcatlipoca (/ ˌ t ɛ z k æ t l i ˈ p oʊ k ə /; Classical Nahuatl: Tezcatlipōca Nahuatl pronunciation: [teskatɬiˈpoːka] ()) was a central deity in Aztec religion, and his main festival was the Toxcatl ceremony celebrated in the month of May. The Olmec were-jaguar infant and maize god, though these beings and deities aren’t mutually exclusive, are iconographically both presented on this figuring. A very young Maize God, as he seems to be an infant with maize growing from a cleft in its head. The Olmec adopted the most powerful animal that shared their habitat, the jaguar, as their main totem. The jaguar was a very important figure to the Olmec. The Olmec fashioned votive axes in the form of figures carved from jade, jadeite, serpentine and other greenstones. A … God i. It was known as"nahual"and was so closely related to some men that it was believed that, if the animal died, man would also. According to the Olmec religion, in early times, a human woman and a jaguar bred, creating a were-jaguar, or a creature both human and jaguar, who was the ancestor of all Olmecs. The jaguar was the shaman of the animal world, a kind of alter-ego of the Olmec shaman. However, scholars often associate this with the god of maize and the color green. It is not known when or why this happened. God ii. The Mayan god Tohil, for example, was similarly associated with sacrifice. God iii. The Aztecs were known to take inspiration from earlier cultures, specifically the Maya and Olmec. 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. Jade votive axe, Olmec, 1200-400 BC Mexico. Olmec, jaguar God, Dumbarton Oaks Collection, Meso America. 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