This wonderfully animated Jaguar Warrior by Saul Montesinos of Izúcar de Matamoros, Puebla brings an ancient Mexican warrior into the irreverent world of Día de los Muertos. The skeletal figure wears an elaborate jaguar headdress with a cascade of brilliantly colored feathers, while the spotted jaguar pattern continues around his waist. His exposed ribs, long wire legs, dangling jaw, and broad grin give him the wonderfully theatrical character found in Montesinos’ Day of the Dead figures.
He is fully equipped for battle, carrying a round shield and a weapon modeled after a macuahuitl, the wooden sword-club traditionally edged with obsidian blades. The shield is decorated with a bold stylized bird design, and even his sandals and tiny ankle ornaments have been carefully modeled and painted. From the side and back, the construction becomes even more interesting, with ceramic elements joined by wire to give the figure a loose, almost dancing stance.
Among the Mexica, or Aztecs, jaguar warriors belonged to an elite military class. Jaguar imagery carried powerful associations with warfare and authority, and accomplished warriors could wear jaguar costumes and headdresses as signs of rank. The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Montesinos transforms that formidable figure into a calavera without losing his identity, pairing the warrior’s imposing regalia with the humor and familiarity with death that characterize Mexican Day of the Dead art.
