358 ANIMAL FIGURES IN THE MAYA CODICES 



as well. A realistic jaguar head appears as a glyph in Tro- 

 Cortesianus 2a (PL 35, fig. 13). The more usual glyph for 

 the jaguar is more highly conventionalized, although the 

 spots and the short rounded ear are still characteristic (PL 35, 

 fig. 11). A slight modification of this glyph appears in Dres- 

 den 8a in connection with the full drawing of the animal 

 below. 



The Nahua day Oceolotl, as already noted, means jaguar, 

 and the jaguar glyph is found among the day signs (PL 34, 

 fig. 3). Seler (1904, p. 379) associates the jaguar in the 

 Vaticanus and the Bologna with Tezcatlipoca. He notes 

 that the second age of the world, in which the giants lived 

 and in which Tezcatlipoca shone as the sun, is called the 

 *' jaguar sun." Tezcatlipoca is supposed to have changed 

 himself into a jaguar. 



Puma {Felis bangsi costaricensis) . As shown by Stempell, 

 there can be little doubt that some one of the mainly nominal 

 species of Central American puma is represented in Dresden 

 47 (PL 34, fig. 7). This animal is colored reddish in the 

 original, as is the puma, is without spots, although the tip 

 of the tail, as in the pictures of the jaguar, is black. The 

 animal is represented as being transfixed with a spear.* 

 Another animal colored red in Dresden 41c seems to repre- 

 sent a puma. God B is shown seated upon him. A crude 

 figure from the Painted Chamber of the Temple of the Tigers 

 (PL 34, fig. 5) is probably the same species of puma. The 

 cleverly executed head, shown in profile in PL 34, fig. 6, is also 

 perhaps the same animal, although it may possibly represent 

 the jaguar. One or the other of these two cats is also in- 

 tended, in PL 34, fig. 4, a drawing of a piece of pottery. 



Coyote (Canis). Two figures from the Nuttall Codex 

 have been included as possibly representing coyotes (PL 35, 

 figs. 1, 2). They are chiefly characterized by their prominent 

 ears and bristling hair, and seem to be engaged in active com- 

 bat. Coyotes of several species occur in Mexico and though 



' *Seler (1904) gives an interesting explanation of the reason why the 

 puma and the other corresponding figures are shown hit with a spear. 



