Matthew W. Stirling, a Smithsonian archaeologist, led 13 expeditions to Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica and Ecuador between 1938 and 1957. From 1948 to 1954, he searched for links between Mesoamerican and South American cultures, then returned to Ecuador in 1956-1957. His fieldwork documented pre-Columbian sites, earthen mounds and artifacts, including ceramics, stone tools, weapons, gold and were-jaguar imagery.
The were-jaguar is a recurring Olmec motif, marked by almond-shaped eyes, a downturned mouth and a cleft forehead. It did not appear on nearly every Olmec monument, and jaguar imagery and feline deities continued in later Mesoamerican cultures. No established count supports thousands of Olmec human-jaguar depictions. The video argues that the Olmec royal lineage believed it descended from a Jaguar God and that the were-jaguar formed the core of Mesoamerica's first great religion; these are interpretations, not established archaeological findings.
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Introduction: The Origin and Development of Olmec Researchdoaks.orgThe archaeological evidence argues for an entirely Indigenous development, however, and many Olmec traits are traceable to earlier cultures of Early Formative ...
Were-jaguars and jaguar babies in Olmec religion | Essex Student ...publications.essex.ac.ukThis project draws the conclusion that the jaguar was a natural choice as a symbol of the “royal house” but had a religious importance that predated this ...
The ferocious and mysterious were-jaguar of the ancient Olmecshistoryskills.comThe Olmec civilisation developed in the Gulf Coast region of Mexico, within the tropical zones of present-day Veracruz and Tabasco. Archaeological evidence ...
Jaguar Cult — Down's Syndrome — Were-Jaguar - Penn Museumpenn.museumA comparison of many of the Olmec were-jaguar representations with individuals affected by Down's syndrome shows such striking similarities.
The Werejaguar and the Lost Religion of the Olmechistoricmysteries.comDiscover the mystery of the Olmec werejaguar — a half-human, half-jaguar deity at the heart of Mesoamerica's first great religion.
The Power to Dominate: Jaguar Symbology in the Olmec ...historicalmx.orgSome of the earliest depictions of the jaguar in art, however, come from the Olmec, the Preclassic era culture from Mexico's southern Gulf coast.
Versatility and Power in Olmec Iconography Aba Allerup Dr ...aspire.apsu.eduEarly interpretations of Olmec were-jaguar imagery were believed to have religious meaning; that it was a singular, worshipped deity ...
Standing Figure Holding a Were-Jaguar Babykimbellart.orgThe baby displays the features typical of an Olmec were-jaguar: a V-shaped cleft in its head; slanted, almond-shaped eyes; a foreshortened, broad nose; and a ...
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