Balam

The Jaguar, or Balam, is a supernatural being in Mayan religion that guards fields and villages the Mayas speak of Balam as a god of agriculture. The jaguar represents power, ferocity and wisdom as well as protection from evil. Revered by every tribe from the indigenous peoples of the United States, for some Native Americans, the word meant, “he who kills with one blow” and in the mythology of the pre-Columbian America, the black jaguar was widely seen as a god in Peru, Mexico, or Guatemala, to name a few. It was an icon for the brave hunter and warrior, who created military orders of jaguar soldiers. Their members were the most valiant and highly acclaimed. Gods, kings, warriors, and priests added the jaguar epithet to their names, “Balam” burnishing their reputations with a symbol of prestige and power and only the most elite of warriors and kings could use their black or spotted pelts. In Mayan mythology, the jaguar was seen as one of the rulers of the “Xibalbá” (the Underworld) and as such, a symbol of the night sun and darkness. There were Mayan priests called Balam who officiated at only the most important ceremonies. Along with the Aztecs and Mayans, the Inca also built temples dedicated to the jaguar. The jaguar was representative of power, ferocity, and valor; it was the embodiment of aggressiveness. It represented the power to face one’s fears, to confront one’s enemies. However, they are also associated with vision, the ability to see during the night and to look into the dark parts of the human heart.