Jaguar warrior

An Aztec Jaguar warrior

Jaguar warriors or jaguar knights, ocēlōtl Nahuatl pronunciation: [oˈseːloːt͡ɬ] ⓘ (singular)[1] or ocēlōmeh [oseːˈloːmeʔ] (plural)[1] were members of the Aztec military elite.[2] They were a type of Aztec warrior called a cuāuhocēlōtl [kʷaːwoˈseːloːt͡ɬ] (derived from cuāuhtli [ˈkʷaːʍt͡ɬi] ("eagle") and ocēlōtl ("jaguar").[3] They were an elite military unit similar to the eagle warriors.

The jaguar motif was used due to the belief the jaguar represented Tezcatlipoca. Aztecs also wore this dress at war because they believed the animal's strengths would be given to them during battles.[4] Jaguar warriors were used at the battlefront in military campaigns. They were also used to capture prisoners for sacrifice to the Aztec gods.[2] Many statues and images (in pre-Columbian and post-Columbian codices) of these warriors have survived.[5] They fought with a wooden club, studded with obsidian volcanic glass blades, called a macuahuitl. They also used spears and atlatls.

To become a jaguar warrior, a member of the Aztec army had to capture a total of four enemies from battles.[6] This was said to honor their gods in a way far greater than killing enemy soldiers on the battlefield. For a warrior to kill an enemy was considered clumsy.

  1. ^ a b Nahuatl Dictionary. (1997). Wired Humanities Project. University of Oregon. Retrieved September 5, 2012, from link Archived 2016-12-03 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ a b Jaguar Warriors. Ixmiquilpan. Mexico murals Archived 2009-04-20 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Sánchez-Murillo, R. (2012). La palabra universal. Ricardo Sánchez-Murillo. Retrieved September 5, 2012, from link Archived 2013-10-29 at the Wayback Machine.
  4. ^ Saunders, Nicholas J. (1994). "Predators of Culture: Jaguar Symbolism and Mesoamerican Elites". World Archaeology. 26 (1): 108. doi:10.1080/00438243.1994.9980264. JSTOR 124867.
  5. ^ Pre-Columbian Stock Photography, Pre-Hispanic Stock Photos, Mesoamerican Travel Photos Archived 2007-04-17 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ Anawalt, Patricia (1980). "Costume and Control: Aztec Sumptuary Laws". Archeology. 33 (1): 40. JSTOR 41726816.