Chalcatzingo. Olmec Representations of the Human-Feline Struggle.

By Óscar Cortés Palma

In the eastern region of the state of Morelos, in the municipality of Jantetelco, is located the archaeological zone of Chalcatzingo, a Nahuatl word meaning "native of the small Chalco", this archaeological site was discovered in the mid-1930s and since Then more than 44 pre-Hispanic monuments have been found, whose antiquity oscillates between the years of 800 to 500 BC and correspond to the Olmec civilization.

This archaeological zone is located on the slopes of Cerros Delgado, Ancho and Tenango, visible and recognizable hills from far away, since they are isolated from the other hills of the area, which are few because that region is mainly a plain.

So far four bas-reliefs have been found with figures of felines in this place, one of them represents a feline on a human; Another bas-relief depicts two scenes of two Jaguars attacking two men; In another bas-relief we can observe three felines and in another bas-relief we can observe another feline attacking a human.

MONUMENT 41 OR TRIADA DE LOS FELINOS dated between 800 and 500 BC. This stone is 1.5 meters high and weighs a ton and a half. It has an antiquity of 2,800 years and is located in the Olmec archaeological zone of Chalcatzingo.

The fact that there are many representations of Felines is due to the fact that in the Mesoamerican religions the animals played a main role, in contrast the Christian religions are more humanistic, for example, for the Olmec civilization the Jaguar was the main God.

© Óscar Cortés Palma

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