#cultofjaguar
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Fragment of Sculpture
carved jade
circa 900-600 BCE
Olmec culture
Mexico

#handmade #carved #jade #jadeite #olmecculture #jaguarmouth #cultofjaguar #olmecculture #BCE #prehispanic #precolumbian #ancientart #ancientculture #religion #ritual #belief #magic #transformation #jaguar #worship #mesoamerica
This is one of the most amazing pieces of Olmec culture. It was carved in jadeite and was made between 900-300 BC. There is debate whether it is a woman who finds praying or singing, or possibly a man with an expression of authority. Notice the long straight hair, as well as his face with a very distorted mouth, a trait present in Olmec art and that some have linked with the cult of the jaguar. The Olmec "cult of the jaguar" refers to the intense veneration of the jaguar as a primary supernatural deity in the early Mesoamerican civilization (c. 1200–400 BCE), symbolizing power, rain, and fertility. It is characterized by widespread art featuring "were-jaguars"—human-feline hybrids with cleft heads and snarling mouths—which likely represented a divine, ruling lineage or transformation between earthly and spiritual realms. It is unknown where this object was found. Part of the Dumbartok Oaks collection in the USA.
April 19, 2026 at 1:54 PM