Sterling tracks were-jaguar motif across Mesoamerica 1947-1957. The were-jaguar appears on nearly every Olmec monument excavated Nowhere in later Mesoamerican cultures (Maya, Zapotec, Teotihuacan, Aztec, Toltec) was the were-jaguar seen From 1947-1953, Sterling led four expeditions into Panama tracking were-jaguars
Archaeologists have traced the were-jaguar motif across Mesoamerica, finding thousands of human-jaguar hybrid depictions. This motif appears widely in the Olmec archaeological record and is characterized by almond-shaped eyes, a downturned open mouth, and a cleft head. The Olmec, or at least their royal lineage, believed they were descended from a Jaguar God. While the were-jaguar is strongly associated with the Olmec, jaguar motifs and feline deities appear throughout later Mesoamerican cultures including Maya and Aztec civilizations. The were-jaguar motif represents a central element of Mesoamerica's first great religion.
Key Facts
- The were-jaguar appears on nearly every Olmec monument excavated
- Nowhere in later Mesoamerican cultures (Maya, Zapotec, Teotihuacan, Aztec, Toltec) was the were-jaguar seen
- From 1947-1953, Sterling led four expeditions into Panama tracking were-jaguars
- He discovered the oldest known ancient sites in Panama with man-made mounds
- Found artifacts of gold, pottery, stone tools, weapons, and depictions of were-jaguars
- In 1954, he investigated Costa Rica for ceramic artifacts influenced by Mesoamerica
- In 1956-1957, his final expedition returned to Ecuador discovering pre-Colombian sites
- Found man-made earthn mounds and were-jaguar depictions in Ecuador's jungled highlands
- There are thousands of depictions of human-jaguar hybrids in the Olmec realm
Source: The First Explorers of the Olmecs: A Truly Lost Civilization by Luke Caverns