As the lion is of the desert and the tiger of the jungle, the jaguar reigns supreme in the woodlands of the Americas. Equal in fierceness to the Asiatic tiger, the jaguar possesses enormous strength, with jaws powerful enough to pierce through the skull between the ears, delivering a fatal bite to the brain. These beasts are well known to “carry off” a horse, drag it to the bank of a river, swim across with their prey, and finally convey it into the thicket of the forest.
Like all Felidce species, this one is nocturnal with the full glare of a vertical sun. When leaving their lair for a foraging expedition, they roar like the lion, a sound said to “echo among the hills like a distant thunder.” Jaguars are noisy animals at all times, said Charles Darwin, but they are especially so upon stormy nights, when their “deep, grating roar” reverberates through the forest. Being treacherous like all cats, and among the laziest of animals, they stalk and ambush upon their prey. But their ambushing skill is peerless, making them the apex predator in the animal kingdom.
The word jaguar is composed of “ja”, meaning we or us, and “guara”, an eater or devourer. As the lord of man and beast, the animal is revered by every prominent Mesoamerican civilizations. The Olmec, considered the first advanced civilization in Mesoamerica, worshipped the were-jaguar, a transformation figure made of both human and jaguar features. Carved onto jade and celts, engraved into figurines, and depicted on altars, they were believed to be a nagual, a spirit companion to protect the shaman from evil spirits and while they moved between the earth and the spirit realm, for it required that the shaman dominated the spirits in the same way a predator dominated its prey.
For the Maya peoples, the jaguar is believed to be the god of the Underworld. One such god is Xbalanque the Jaguar Sun, whose entire body is covered with jaguar skin patches. The Hero Twins, Xbalanque and Hunahpu, went on adventures that ultimately led them to the Underworld, Xibalba. There they outsmarted the Lords of Death, leading to their eventual ascension as the sun and the moon. Another is God L, god of sorcery, violence, and warfare. He is depicted with a jaguar ear, a broad feathery hat topped by an owl, and a jaguar cape. As the Maya’s source of fresh water comes from underground pools in the Yucatán peninsula’s porous limestone, the jaguar is also associated with vegetation and fertility. Ancient Maya art portrays the Waterlily Jaguar deity with waterlilies sprouting from its head, a symbol of royalty and libation.
In Aztec lores, Tezcatlipoca was the god of the night sky. He was identified with the constellation Ursa Major, or the Great Bear, although the Nahua people saw it as a great jaguar. Tezcatlipoca battled his brother Quetzalcoatl, god of wind, the Feathered Serpent crowned with quetzal feathers, to create and destroy the first four worlds and their suns. Tezcatlipoca ruled the first sun, the Jaguar Sun. After 676 years, Quetzalcoatl threw Tezcatlipoca into the sea and reigned over the second sun, the Wind Sun. Tezcatlipoca transformed into a jaguar and ascended into the sky, where he became a constellation. There he called upon other jaguars to consume the giants who had inhabited that world. After 364 years, the second sun was again destroyed as Tezcatlipoca struck down Quetzalcoatl. The third sun, the Rain Sun, was ruled by Tlaloc, god of storms, lightning, and rain, for 312 years, after which Quetzalcoatl caused fire to rain upon it. Tlaloc’s wife, Chalchiuhtlicue, was then given control of the fourth sun, the Water Sun.
Inspired by the jaguar, this dress is adorned with a silk square of jaguar motif. Like his brother Quetzalcoatl, he is crowned with quetzal feathers. For both the Maya and the Aztec, the quetzal was a symbol of freedom. Their long green tail feathers were seen as a link between heaven and earth. They were thus precious and luxury goods, used to make diadems for emperors. The base dress is crafted from two rectangles, which come from a vintage sari.
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