Werejaguar

The werejaguar was both an Olmec motif and a supernatural entity, perhaps a deity. The werejaguar motif is characterized by almond-shaped eyes, a downturned open mouth, and a cleft head. It appears widely in the Olmec archaeological record, and in many cases, under the principle of pars pro toto, the werejaguar motif represents the werejaguar supernatural. The werejaguar supernatural incorporates the werejaguar motif as well as other features, although various academics define the werejaguar supernatural differently. The werejaguar supernatural was once considered to be the primary deity of the Olmec culture but is now thought to be only one of many. Originally, many scholars believed that the werejaguar was tied to a myth concerning a copulation between a jaguar and a woman. Although this hypothesis is still recognized as viable by many researchers, other explanations for the werejaguar motif have since been put forward, several questioning whether the motif actually represents a jaguar at all. The term is derived from Old English were, meaning "man", and jaguar, a large member of the cat family in the Olmec heartland, on analogy with werewolf.