Archaeologists working at a site in Chalcatzingo have unearthed what they describe as a “spectacular” stone monolith featuring three seated jaguars or mountain lions. The monolith, quickly dubbed “Triad of Felines” by archaeologists at the site, dates from around 700 B.C.E and may have been part of a larger structure.
"One of our hypotheses is that, in the time from 800 to 500 B.C., there was a frieze along the entire Cerro Chalcatzingo," or "Chalcatzingo hill," project member Mario Cordova Tello, an archaeologist with Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), said in a statement.
The wall may have been a religiously themed billboard of sorts that ran along a pilgrimage route in the ancient city. Triad of Felines measures roughly 5 feet by 3.6 and because of its size and placement in the hillside it would have been visible along the pilgrimage route and to the village below.
The carvings seen on the Triad of Felines has been described by art historians on the scene as Olmec in style. While the site at Chalcatzingo is not an Olmec site the people of the city were known to have close trade relations with the Olmec civilization and this “borrowing” of their style hints towards the civilizations importance and influence on the other cultures of the region at the time.
The stone also adds to a mythological puzzle. The finding of a cat themed carving in the area is not rare. More than 40 prominent works of art featuring felines have been found at Chalcatzingo since it was discovered in 1935. What is unclear is just what significance cats had to the mythology or religions of the area.
Domesticated cats are, archaeologically, a relatively recent event in North America. The felines depicted on the Chalcatzingo stones must be those of larger wild cats. These cats would have been fierce hunters that were both feared and revered by local human civilizations. Jaguars in particular play a role in the folklore of many pre-Columbian cultures. Furthermore, any of the cat themed artworks found at Chalcatzingo feature mythological elements like flaming eyebrows.
"Something having to do with mythology is being expressed in these carvings ... but I am still trying to figure out exactly what it is," Grove said. "Not a lot is known about Olmec religion."
The Olmec culture flourished from 1500 to 400 B.C.E in what is now south-central Mexico. While their influence on Chalcatzingo is well established there are some differences from traditional Olmec style seen in Triad of Felines and other cat themed works. The Olmec tended to carve three dimensional sculptures while the carvings in Chalcatzingo are raised images on flat surfaces. Interestingly the cats seen on Triad of Felines appear to possibly be wearing what are traditional Olmec masks.
Chalcatzingo is an important Mesoamerican archaeological site located in the Valley of Morelos, about sixty miles south of Mexico City. Discovered in 1930 archaeological work began in earnest there in the 1970s and continues on to this day.
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