Jaguar artclip7/21/2023 Dances of the colonial period (and probably before) typically included a Lord of the Animals, called the “Pastor” in Spanish-influenced dance. Mexican indigenous religious belief united humans and animals as shared inhabitants of the universe. One thinks of the way cat eyes can appear glow with reflected light at night. Spots, whiskers, and fangs are prominent features. ![]() Twentieth-century dance masks featuring jaguars. Below we see a sampling in the Ragatz family mask collection, now maintained by artist Karima Muyaes in the family home in Azcapotzalco. Jaguars are very prevalent in dances in Mexican indigenous communities. (Recent research is suggesting that there were not two orders, just one, represented by the eagle-jaguar pairing.) Some warriors had an association with both animals, being cuauhtli océlotl (eagle-jaguars). The jaguar was the companion to the eagle, the other order of warriors. An order of Aztec warriors took the name of this feared and respected feline. According to the curators of the Templo Mayor museum, for the Nahuas, the jaguar symbolized the night and could serve as an animal spirit-guide (nahualli) for elite men, for individuals connected with the supernatural, and had connections to some deities, such as Tezcatlipoca. This jaguar head, above, so beautifully carved, probably formed part of a cuauhxicalli, or recipient where the hearts of sacrificial victims were placed. Post-Classic Mexica jaguar head found in the Templo Mayor and now displayed in that museum.
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