Jaguar
Panthera onca
Status: Near Threatened, decreasing population because of perceived conflicts with livestock, and being hunted for trophies.
Jaguars are the largest North American cat, and third largest in the world. These stealthy carnivores stalk the jungles of the Amazon and range across the mangroves, grasslands, and streams.
As the dominant predator within their ecosystem, agile, deadly, and beautiful, jaguars were the subject of reverence in the mythology and legends of all of the ancient civilizations of Mesoamerica.
The Maya integrated many of the physical characteristics of the jaguar into their deities. Daytime is the realm of the living, and night is for spirits. Jaguars are mostly nocturnal, but in the dense thickets of the Amazon they also are active in the day. For its nocturnal aspect, jaguars became associated with ancestors and the underworld. But for its daytime jaunts, it is also known as a creature that can move through the worlds of the living and the dead.
Unusual among felines, jaguars enjoy water and can be seen near streams and in wetlands. As such, they also are associated with the growth of vegetation, abundance, and fertility.
References:
Saunders, Nicholas J. (June 1994). "Predators of Culture: Jaguar Symbolism and Mesoamerican Elites". World Archaeology.
de Orellana, M., Olivier, G., Derais, J., Taube, K., Pope, Q., Chinchilla Mazariegos, O., Sugiyama, N., Vargas, R., Hermann Lejarazu, M. A., Marin, C., & Ruiz Medrano, E. (2016). JAGUAR. Artes de Mexico, 121, 64-80. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24878528
Werness, H. B. (2004). The Continuum Encyclopedia of Animal Symbolism in Art. Spain: Continuum. 242-243.
The Political Economy of Ancient Mesoamerica: Transformations During the Formative and Classic Periods. (2007). United States: University of New Mexico Press. 50-56.