The "Baby Jaguar" Vases

Date of writing 6 May, 2008.

This scene shown in this group of vases (see the topical listing here and the concordance from Kerr numbers here) has sometimes been referred to as the "Baby Jaguar Sacrifice" scene. [Do readers have more citations to add here?]

Penny J. Steinbach notes this publication, which I have not read.
Martin, Simon  2002  The Baby Jaguar: An Exploration of Its Identity and Origins in Maya Art and Writing. 
              In La organización social entre los mayas, Vol. 1, edited by Vera Tiesler Blos, Rafael                
              Cobos, and Merle Greene Robertson, pp. 51-73.  Memoria de la Tercera Mesa Redonda de
              Palenque. Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia and Universidad Autónoma de              
              Yucatán, Mexico.

In compiling the topical list posted here, this author noticed that following the spatial arrangement of the principal figures, we should conclude that the weapon which can do real damage, the so-called "knuckleduster", does indeed appear on some vases to be directed at the Baby Jaguar (K2208, K4385). Sometimes it appears to be directed more at the Death God (K1199, K2207, K4056). But on five other vases, where God N is represented as he often is in the mouth of his shell or its analog, the knuckleduster and the axe are clearly directed against God N (K4013, K1370, K3201, K1768, K2213). On a further two vases (K4011, ?K1815), God N might also be under attack, or he could be being pulled out of his shell. Since these last, especially K4013 and K1370, are the most elaborate and presumably the most complete representations of the story, our best estimate might regard them as holding the clearest clues to the full form of the original, clues which should guide our interpretation. Another clue to a more faithful transmission of the tradition is that the four at the top of the list, K4013, K1370, K3201, and K1768, along with one other K2208 not far below, are the only ones showing "god markings" on the arms torso or legs of the figure wielding the weapons.

On the vase K2213, the Baby Jaguar is being held gently and is not being threatened. Where the weapons appear to be directed against the Death God (esp. K2207, K4056), they may be causing him to release the Baby Jaguar. Perhaps it is not amiss to compare a line from the Catholic Requiem Mass:
     Libera me Domine de morte aeterna
     Free me, O Lord, from eternal death

Justin Kerr has noted in personal communication that he came to the conclusion quite some time ago that the scene represented on this group of vases is not a sacrifice. He did not give reasons in detail. This author has only examined these scenes recently because of their inclusion in a listing of mythological scenes (see credits at the end).

Another line of evidence also suggests that we do not have a sacrifice here. The Death God figure, on each of these scenes, is not holding the Baby Jaguar, but shows an unusual hand gesture which projects a lack of control. The fingers are spread apart, the hands spread apart, and the hands are not holding anything. It would be most reasonable to conclude that the Death God has thrown, dropped, or released the Baby Jaguar, especially for vases K4013, K2207, K4011. On vase K2208, there is a bit more control signaled, the Death God appears to be kneeling down as if to gently place the Baby Jaguar in the cleft of the mountain which is most clearly represented on K4013 and K4011. (An alternative interpretation could be that the Death God is reaching for the Baby Jaguar but has not grasped it.) On vase K2213, the corresponding figure is holding the Baby Jaguar, as mentioned, perhaps at a time in the story before releasing him.

Because the verb in the glyphic texts has a root which could be /al-/, appearing sometimes apparently as /y-al-aw/(?) which could be the transitive form. We most readily recognize /al-/ as referring to how a woman gives birth to a child, but which is also the root of meanings such as "to lower down" and perhaps even a range of meanings nearing "to drop", the glyphic text may be compatible with the meanings inferred from the iconography in the preceding paragraph. Less probably, the root might be /yal-/ but there is no /u-yal-/ written..

We can identify among the vases those eleven which have the fullest and most carefully painted versions of the scene, with Chahk (who once on K2208 has lightning coming from his mouth) attacking either God N or the Death God, and the Baby Jaguar present. These appear first in the topical listing. Then there are another seven which may have the story incomplete or garbled.
In the first group, 6 or 7 of the 11 have the Tzolk'in date 7 Kib or [7] Kib, against only two with the Tzolk'in date 7 Muluk, and 2 indeterminate. In the second less faithful group, 4 of the 7 have the Tzolk'in date 7 Muluk, only one has 7 Kib. There may thus have been variants in the traditional transmission of this story.
Among the 6 clear and one possible Kib days in the first group, the day in the month is "4" four times (always K'anasiiy when the month glyph is clear), and once "3". With the dayname Kib, it should be 4, 9, 14, or 19. Among the 4 vases with the Tzolk'in date 7 Muluk in the second group, the day of the Haab is twice 7 K'anasiiy, once 6, and once 10 Sak. This may show scribes attempting to fix the error assuming the Tzolk'in was correct as 7 Muluk. With the day name Muluk, the day in the month should be 2, 7, 12, or 17, and by the slimmest of majorities, it is one of those, 7 K'anasiiy.

Returning to the attack on God N, it is well known that he is pulled out of his shell in some important event [add citations here], and this is conceivably indicated in this group on vase K4011 (possibly also K1815). The same event is shown in a Chama vase K6434, where God N is also threatened with a flint or spear by the same individual who is pulling him out of his shell by the arm. The scene is almost the same on K6290 but without the physical pulling of God N's arm and without any threatening weapon. The Chama vase painters seem to have favored this theme, because there are a number of other vases showing God N, and a number of others which have a similar overall scene as K6290, but with some other animal instead of God N, and no threatening weapon. Also in the vases of the "Baby Jaguar" group, K3450 shows both weapons, a "knuckleduster" and an axe, being used to attack a mammal which is certainly not the Baby Jaguar. Perhaps it is a Tapir? On the whole however, there is no unambiguous evidence in the Baby Jaguar group of vases that God N is being pulled from his shell. The two examples closest to supporting such an interpretation could simply have the attackers "knuckleduster" inserted far into the maw or mountain.

The last vase included in this list is K2595, which as represented in the illustration at least cannot convey what this scene is about, it is too reduced (or too damaged?). Kerr remarks that it looks as if it is from the same workshop.

The vase K1184 comes from a very different artistic tradition, but may tell us that this is a rebirth. A Baby Jaguar rests on a plate, and from his navel area rises a serpent, from whose open jaws emerges a circular device containing what appears to be a jaguar claw. This looks like death and resurrection or rebirth or reincarnation. There is no application or threat of use of a weapon against this Baby Jaguar.

A thesis is being devoted to these vases by Penny Steinbach, and we can look forward to further clarification of this story from additional points of view.