Jaguar : Power in the Ancient Americas

July 19 - December 14 2008

Mint Museum of Art

 

Plate

Guatemala. Central Lowlands

Late Classic Period, Maya culture, 600-800 CE

Earthenware with red, orange and black slip paint

Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Francis Robicsek. 1982.208.13

A Maya ruler, sitting in the position of royal authority, wears a jaguar pelt over-skirt.

He holds aloft the ajaw symbol of regal authority,

ajaw meaning “lord / speaker” in the many Mayan languages.

 

 

     Showcasing artworks from the permanent collection, this exhibit features the remarkable diversity of jaguar representations in clay and stone throughout the ancient Americas and also explores the contemporary use of jaguar imagery in performance masks from modern Mexico. The exhibition highlights the extraordinary artistic and ideological variations unique to each culture and explores the layered meanings of these representations. Many objects are coming out of storage for the first time, and others will be presented in a new interpretive light of recent scholarly developments in understanding these ancient cultures of the Americas. By drawing on the rich resources of the museum's extensive collection of ancient Americas artworks, the exhibition underscores the artistic vision and generosity of its main donors, Dr. Francis and Mrs. Lilly Robicsek. The exhibit also features the museum’s amazing collection of modern Mexican ethnographic prints from one of the museum’s more recent and steadfast supporters and donors, Gretchen and Nelson Grice . 

 

 The Jaguar

 

 

 

 

The jaguar is the most powerful predatory animal in the ancient Americas. Its strength and prowess prompted its use as a symbol of regal authority similar to the lion among the royal houses of Africa and Europe The jaguar also was emblematic of a shaman’s supernatural transformation, that is, the ability to leave the human world and enter the supernatural realm. The shaman would make this preternatural journey in his/her spirit animal companion form, often being that of the jaguar.Jaguars were a fitting symbol of this transcendent journey because of their unique ability to traverse many environments: they climb trees, prowl the earth’s surface, swim in lakes and rivers and live in caves, the entrance to the underworld. The myriad portrayals of the jaguar by artists from Mexico to Bolivia allow us to explore the layers of meaning of this potent animal. Through these artworks we are able to glimpse the social, political and spiritual richness of the indigenous cultures of the ancient Americas.

 

Royal Authority

The mighty jaguar came to symbolize royal authority among many of the ancient cultures of the Western Hemisphere, from Mexico to Chile. In particular, the jaguar was an important symbol of royalty among the Classic Period Maya (250-850 CE) of southern Mexico, Gautemala, Belize, and Honduras. Because it embodied concepts of worldly and spiritual powers beyond those of ordinary people, the jaguar sanctioned the rulers’ authority and right to govern. These mighty felines also referenced belief in the spiritual transformation abilities of rulers and special religious practitioners who, in their animal spiritual forms, harnessed sacred powers to affect worldly affairs.

  • Check out this interactive, from the archaeological dig site, Waka, produced by the Archaeological Institute of America. The name of the site comes from a glyphic text associated with the King, Kinich Balaam, or Sun-Faced Jaguar who ruled from the late seventh into the early eighth century.
  • This site, People of the Jaguar, is geared for younger visitors, and is a good introduction to Mayan culture.

 

Shamans and Spiritual Transformation

Many world religions believe that each person has a spirit companion. It is believed that special practitioners, called shamans, are able to transform themselves at will into their spiritual co-essences. The transformation often is assisted by fasting, dancing, meditation or hallucinogenic substances. In one’s spiritual form the person can wield supernatural power to heal the sick, foretell the future or bring success in other worldly matters. Often the co-essence takes the form of a potent animal such as a serpent or jaguar, the predatory felines being especially powerful shamanic beings.

  • Scroll halfway down the page for Seeing Shamans, a "Carlos Conversations" podcast from the Michael C. Carlos Museum site at Emory University - "Faculty Curator of the Art of the Ancient Americas Rebecca Stone and Ricardo Gutiérrez-Mouat, Professor of Latin American and Caribbean Studies, discuss shamanism and how it shaped both ancient American art and the work of contemporary Latin American writers." (mp3 file)
  • The Ancient Americas Collection at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art collection online site features Figure Undergoing Transformation, 900-300 B.C.  Serpentine with traces of cinnabar, which has "both human and jaguarian features, represents a shaman or a divine ruler undergoing transformation to a supernatural state. The figure does not wear a mask but actually is, beneath his human form, a jaguar: the skin and hair on the head have been peeled back to expose his feline nature. The supernatural qualities of the figure were originally enhanced by glowing eyes, inlaid with pyrite.
  • Kajuyali Tsamani, Ph.D., is an anthropologist and  a Jaguar Shaman  Here is a link  to an  April 28, 2008  podcast with him-"Shaman from the Kogi indigenous people of Colombia at the World Psychedelic Forum"
  • Shamanistic Idols and Stone Jaguars, a temporary exhibition from 2006 at the Budapest, Hungary Museum of Ethnography

 

Performance Then and Now

Public dance performances in ancient Mexico ranged from light-hearted entertainment to serious political theater to the most sacred expressions of religious beliefs. Some dramas recounted the epic tales that underlay the culture’s identity and spirituality whereas others explored the boundaries of appropriate social behavior, humor and the absurd. The participants included professional actors and musicians as well as members of the gathered populace. The surviving representations of performers provide a glimpse of the rich costuming that imparted meaning to and enjoyment of these ritual pageants.

 

 General Resources

  • The Wired Humanities Project's Virtual Mesoamerican Archive is a wide-ranging resource with a searchable database of images, links, teacher materials and much more.
  • Mask of the Spirit Image and Metaphor in MesoAmerica by Peter T. Markham and Roberta H. Markham - full version of the text online from the Scholarships Edition website
  • The Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies (FAMSI) web site is a powerful research tool providing up to date scholarship, images, and reference material in an online environment. If you use only one resource, this is the one to use. 

 

Resources in The Mint Museum Library

  • Coe, Michael D. The Jaguar's Children: Pre-Classic Central Mexico. New York : Museum of Primitive Art, 1965. F1219.3.A7 C56 
  • Icons of power : Feline Symbolism in the Americas. London: Routledge, 1998. Nunley, John W. (John Wallace), 1945-. E59.A7 I36 1998 - a portion of the book is available online 
  • The Cult of the Feline: a Conference in pre-Columbian Iconography, October 31st and November 1st, 1970. Washington : Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collections, Trustees for Harvard University, 1972. E59.R38 C84 link to a pdf document of the book (large file)
  • Masks : Faces of Culture. New York : Abrams in association with the Saint Louis Art Museum, 1999.  GN419.5 .N85 1999 
  • Lipp, Frank J. The Mixe of Oaxaca : Religion, Ritual, and Healing. Austin: University of Texas Press,1998 F1221.M67 L57 1991  
  • Voices of Forgotten Worlds. Roslyn, N.Y.: Ellipsis Arts, [1993]. - Music CD  ML3545 .B58 1993  

 

 

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