There is a species that protects water and forest biodiversity living on our continent. From Mexico to Argentina, across 18 countries and 7 million km2, we can find the jaguar, a great feline also known as otorongo, tigre mariposa or onça pintada.

Its scientific name is Panthera onca and it plays a fundamental ecological role in the ecosystemic balance, regulating the populations of smaller species and thus representing the ultimate symbol that the biodiversity where it lives is intact.

In addition to its position in the ecosystem, this feline has a close relationship with American cultures. By observation and tradition, they have agreed that these animals play a crucial role in nature; besides being amazed and interested by the beauty and magnificence of this species.

Some ancestral tribes consider it a “magical creature” because of its strength, stealth, skill, and speed. Within their cosmovision, the jaguar is part of their myths and stories, always surrounded by mysticism and respect.

Today, in many indigenous populations, the qualities of this species are used to perform rituals with ayahuasca— a traditional indigenous drink— and shamanism, protecting people with their spirit and releasing the “old man” within them.

This is the cultural heritage represented by the jaguar, the other face of the largest feline on the American continent.

It is known in Mexican culture as Ocelotl or Balaam.

For the Mayans, its symbolism is closely related to the expression of power. According to the tradition of this pre-Hispanic culture, the feline controlled the universal forces of day and night.

The Aztecs, another culture of Mesoamerica, represented it as a god in their tradition, due to the respect and fear it commanded as an innate predator; its image was so representative that they sculpted its figure in many of their temples and altars.

Considered a warrior in Colombia

One of the four aboriginal peoples of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, located in the north of the country, is the Arhuaco people. These people conceive the appearance of the jaguar as a manifestation of the sacred, considering it as a warrior, ruler, guardian, bearer of the lineage.

From their traditions, they understand that the jaguars are the guardians of knowledge, that is, great sages that rule the traditional foundations of territorial knowledge.

In Peru, this feline becomes the Sun

In the ancient cultures of the north of the country, the little they had as a reference to the image of the Sun was associated with circles with glowing feline heads. These were also seen on two levels: one represented night and darkness and the other, the jaguar became sun and light.

Jaguars are highly respected in Amazonian cultures such as Chavin, Chimú, Chachapoyas, among others.

In Bolivia and Brazil

As for the Bororo people, historically settled in Bolivia and the Brazilian Amazon in the state of Mato Grosso, they saw jaguars as a source of vigor and a connection with the spiritual world.

Another culture that sees these big cats as warriors are the Matsés, located on the border between Peru and Brazil. This community seeks to personify the jaguar, using facial adornments that resemble the animal, such as nose piercings imitating the feline’s whiskers, small sticks in the mouth representing the fangs and tattoos on the face as a reflection of the spots.