The jaguar is one of the most potent symbols in
Mesoamerican art. Often associated with the
ruling power of the king, the jaguar was the
most sacred beast in the animal pantheon. The
veneration of this beast permeates the art of the
Olmec. Considered to be the mother culture of
Mesoamerican civilizations, the Olmec ruled a
vast empire covering much of southern Mexico
from around 1300-400 B.C. Today, they are
famed for their colossal heads: giant sculptures
that first alerted scholars to their existence in
the latter half of the 19th Century. This green
stone mask portrays facial features commonly
referred to as the “were-jaguar.” This name is
used to describe a characteristic countenance of
Olmec art generally exhibiting the puffy, fat
cheeks and jowls of a human baby with the
slanted eyes and curved mouth of a jaguar. On
this example, two holes underneath the upper lip
suggest that fangs were once attached to this
mask, further heightening the jaguar quality of
the facial features. We believe these works to
represent a shaman in the midst of physical
transformation. These great spiritual leaders
were supposed to be able to transform and
assume the powers of wild animals, most
formidably among them, the jaguar. The holes
drilled into the top and chin of this mask reveal
that is was a ceremonial object most likely hung
on a string worn over the chest as a pectoral or
around the shoulder. Perhaps the mask assisted
the shaman in his transformation. Overall, this
mask attests to the artistic sophistication of the
Olmec as well as to their cultures religious and
spiritual beliefs. As great civilizations rise and
fall, they leave behind traces of their existence.
Ritualistic objects, venerated in their own time,
continue to exert an eternal force long after they
have left the hands that once held them sacred.
A mysterious energy still radiates from the core
of this stone carving.
- (PF.6196)
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