what animal did the europeans introduce to the mesoamerican civilization

The representation of jaguars (Panthera onca) in Mesoamerican cultures has a long history, with iconographic examples dating dorsum to at to the lowest degree the mid-Formative catamenia of Mesoamerican chronology.^[1] The jaguar is an animal with a prominent association and advent in the cultures and belief systems of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican societies in the New World, like to the lion (Panthera leo) and tiger (Panthera tigris) in the Onetime World.^[2] Quick, agile, and powerful plenty to accept down the largest prey in the jungle, the jaguar is the biggest felid in Central or North America,^[3] and one of the well-nigh efficient and aggressive predators. Endowed with a spotted glaze and well adapted for the jungle, hunting either in the copse or water, making it one of the few felines tolerant of water, the jaguar was, and remains, revered amidst the Indigenous Americans who live closely with the jaguar.

All major Mesoamerican civilizations prominently featured a jaguar god, and for many, such as the Olmec, the jaguar was an important office of religious practice.^[4] For those who resided in or near the tropical jungle, the jaguar 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 fabricated it an animal to be revered. The Olmec and the Maya witnessed this animal'southward habits, adopting the jaguar as an authoritative and martial symbol, and incorporated the animal into their mythology. The jaguar stands today, as information technology did in the past, as an important symbol in the lives of those who coexist with this feline.

Jaguars and the Maya [edit]

Kukulcan'south Jaguar Throne, from the Maya site of Chichen Itza

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 Yucatán Peninsula all the way to the Pacific coast of Republic of guatemala, was a literate society who left documentation of their lives (mostly the lives of the aristocracy) and belief organisation in the form of bas-relief 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 ofttimes accept jaguar attributes. Every bit stated earlier, the jaguar is said to have the ability to cantankerous between worlds, and for the Maya daytime and nighttime 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 night, 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 Xbalanque, i of the Maya Hero Twins who descended to the underworld, and whose entire body is covered with patches of jaguar peel. Another is God L, 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). Non merely is the underworld associated with the ancestors, simply it also is understood as, where plants originate. In addition, the Maya's source of fresh water comes from undercover pools in the porous limestone that makes up the Yucatán, chosen cenotes. These associations with water and plants further reinforce the notion of the jaguar as a god of fertility.

The jaguar is further associated with vegetation and fertility past the Maya with what is known every bit the Waterlily jaguar, which is depicted as having h2o lilies sprouting from its head (Benson 1998:64-67).

No doubt, the jaguar's vivid coat fabricated it quite desirable, all the same, not all were allowed to don the jaguar pelt as information technology became the identification of the ruling class for the Maya. Non only did Maya kings clothing jaguar pelts, simply they also adopted the jaguar equally part of their ruling proper name, as a symbol of their might and authority. One such ruling family unit to incorporate the jaguar into their name is known as, Jaguar Mitt, who ruled the Maya city of Tikal in the 4th century. Jaguar Paw I was ousted by key Mexicans from Teotihuacán, and information technology was not until late in the 5th century that the Jaguar Paw family unit returned to ability (Coe 1999: 90). Other Maya rulers to incorporate the jaguar name include, Whorl Jaguar, Bird Jaguar, and Moon Jaguar, simply to name a few (Coe 1999: 247-48). In addition to the ruling class, the jaguar besides was associated with warriors and hunters. Those who excelled in hunting and warfare oftentimes adorned themselves with jaguar pelts, teeth, or claws and were "regarded as possessing feline souls" (Saunders 1998: 26).

Archeologists have found a jar in Guatemala, attributed to the Maya of the Tardily Classic Era (600-900 Advertizement), which depicts a musical instrument that has been reproduced and played. This instrument is astonishing in at least two respects. Beginning, information technology is the only stringed musical instrument known in the Americas prior to the introduction of European musical instruments. Second, when played, it produces a sound nigh identical to a jaguar's growl. A sample of this sound is available at the Princeton Art Museum website.

Jaguars and Teotihuacan [edit]

In the city-state of Teotihuacan jaguar bones have been found in caches of precious or meaning objects, including obsidian and greenstone, in both the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon. 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 soon before burial, many had lived in captivity for a long time prior to being placed in the dedicatory cache.^[5]

Jaguars and the Olmecs [edit]

Clay jaguar from Monte Albán, provisionally dated from 200 BC to Advertizement 600. Pinnacle: 56 cm (22 inches)

The Olmec civilization was commencement divers as a distinctive fine art style at the turn of the nineteenth century. The various sculpture, figurines, and celts from what now is recognized as the Olmec heartland on the southern Gulf Coast, reveal that these people knew their jungle companions well and incorporated them into their mythology.

In the surviving Olmec archaeological record, jaguars are rarely portrayed naturalistically, but rather with a combination of feline and human characteristics. These feline anthropomorphic 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.

One of the about prominent, distinctive, and enigmatic Olmec designs to appear in the archaeological record has been the "were-jaguar". Seen non only in figurines, the motif also may be institute carved into jade "votive axes" and celts, engraved onto various portable figurines of jade, and depicted on several "altars", such as those at La Venta. Were-jaguar babies are often held past a stoic, seated developed male person.

The were-jaguar figure is characterized past a distinctive down-turned oral fissure with fleshy lips, almond-shaped eyes, and a fissure head similar – it is said – to that of the male jaguar which has a cleft running vertically the length of its head.

Information technology is not known what the were-jaguar represented to the Olmec, and information technology may well have represented different things at unlike times.

Other Instances of the Jaguar in Mesoamerican Cultures [edit]

Tecuanes Dances in Present-Twenty-four hour period United mexican states [edit]

Tēcuani (and its variants tekuani, tekuane, tecuane) ways "jaguar" in Nahuatl. In the due south-center of Mexico the "danza de los tecuanes" is performed in at least 96 communities. In this region jaguar dances are very popular. At that place are many variants of jaguar dances. Some of the most popular are the "tecuanes dances", "tlacololeros dances" and "tlaminques dances" ^[6]

An Olmec transformation figure, thought to show the transformation of a religious authority into a jaguar.

Jaguars and Naguals [edit]

The jaguar is important for certain religious authorities in many Mesoamerican cultures, who often associate the jaguar as a spirit companion or nagual, which will protect the religious figures from evil spirits and while they motility betwixt the earth and the spirit realm. In guild for the religious authorities to gainsay any evil forces may exist threatening, or for those who rely on the religious authorities for protection, information technology is necessary for some religious authorities to transform and cross over to the spirit realm. The jaguar is often a nagual because of its strength, for it is necessary that the religious authorities "dominate the spirits, in the aforementioned way as a predator dominates its casualty" (Saunders 1998:xxx). The jaguar is said to possess the transient power of moving between worlds because of its comfort both in the copse and the h2o, the ability to hunt likewise in the dark as in the daytime, and the habit of sleeping in caves, places oftentimes associated with the deceased ancestors. The concept of the transformation of a religious authorization is well-documented in Mesoamerica and South America and is in particular demonstrated in the various Olmec jaguar transformation figures (Diehl, p. 106).

See also [edit]

• Ocelot
• Underwater panther
• Wayob

Notes [edit]

1. ^ Saunders, Nicholas J. (1994). "Predators of Civilization: Jaguar Symbolism and Mesoamerican Elites". World Archaeology. 26 (1): 104–117. ISSN 0043-8243.
2. ^ John Hampden Porter (1894). "The Jaguar". Wild beasts; a study of the characters and habits of the elephant, king of beasts, leopard, panther, jaguar, tiger, puma, wolf, and grizzly carry. pp. 174–195. Retrieved 2014-01-nineteen .
3. ^ Rodrigo Nuanaez; Brian Miller; Fred Lindzey (2000). "Nutrient habits of jaguars and pumas in Jalisco, Mexico". Journal of Zoology. 252 (3): 373–379. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.2000.tb00632.x. Retrieved 2006-08-08 .
4. ^ Miller & Taube, p. 103.
5. ^ Sugiyama, Nawa; Somerville, Andrew D.; Schoeninger, Margaret J. (2015-09-02). "Stable Isotopes and Zooarchaeology at Teotihuacan, Mexico Reveal Earliest Bear witness of Wild Carnivore Management in Mesoamerica". PLoS 1. 10 (nine): e0135635. doi:ten.1371/journal.pone.0135635. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC4557940. PMID 26332042.
6. ^ Bullé-Goyri, Alejandro Ortiz (2005-12-xv). "Aproximaciones a Los Tecuanes, danza-drama de origen náhuatl del Estado de Guerrero". América sin Nombre (in Castilian) (eight): 93–99. doi:10.14198/AMESN2006.8.12. ISSN 1989-9831.

References [edit]

• Benson, E.P. (1998) "The Lord, The Ruler: Jaguar Symbolism in the Americas." In N.J. Saunders (ed), Icons of Ability: Feline Symbolism in the Americas. London: Routledge: 53-76.
• Coe, Thou.D. (1972) "Olmec Jaguars and Olmec Kings." In E.P. Benson (ed), The Cult of the Feline. Washington D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks: 1-12.
• Coe, Thousand.D. (1999) The Maya. London: Thames and Hudson: 90, 247-48.
• Coe, Grand.D. (2002) Mexico: From the Olmecs to the Aztecs. London: Thames and Hudson: 64, 75-76.
• Diehl, Richard (2004). The Olmecs: America'due south Outset Civilization . Ancient peoples and places serial. London: Thames & Hudson. ISBN0-500-02119-8. OCLC 56746987.
• Davis, Whitney. 1978. "And so-Chosen Jaguar-Human Copulation Scenes in Olmec Art". American Artifact 43(iii): 453-457.
• Furst, Peter T. 1981. "Jaguar Babe or Toad Mother: A New Look at an Old Problem in Olmec Iconography", in The Olmec and Their Neighbors, edited by E.P. Benson, Washington D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks: pp 149–162.
• Miller, Mary; Karl Taube (1993). The Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya: An Illustrated Dictionary of Mesoamerican Religion . London: Thames & Hudson. ISBN0-500-05068-vi. OCLC 27667317.
• Murdy, Carson N. 1981. "Congenital Deformities and the Olmec Were-Jaguar Motif", American Antiquity 46(4): 861-871.
• Tate, Carolyn Due east. 1999. "Patrons of Shamanic Power: La Venta'south Supernatural Entities in Calorie-free of Mixe Behavior", Ancient Mesoamerica, ten: 169-188.
• Saunders, N.J. (1998) "Compages of Symbolism: The Feline Epitome." In Northward.J. Saunders (ed), Icons of Ability: Feline Symbolism in the Americas. London: Routledge: 12-52.

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Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguars_in_Mesoamerican_cultures