Noble, Proud, Wise, Lordly: Art of the Jaguar

An Indigenous text written in the Nahuatl language around 1575 described the jaguar thus: “It is the lord, the ruler of the animals. It is cautious, wise, proud… It is noble.” 

From ancient times until today, images of jaguars have been symbols of power and authority in the art of the Americas. In traditions like Maya and Aztec art, jaguars were associated with rulership, as well as with shamanic transformations, darkness, and the movement of the stars in the night sky. 

Jaguar imagery created by artists working today builds upon and expands those associations, exploring the jaguar’s symbolic relationships with broader ecologies and its power in new politically informed works.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website