Let's continue the theme from the last couple of posts, and talk about another animal, the king of the Mexican jungle, the jaguar. At the entrance to Chapultepec there is currently a photographic exhibit dealing with that beautiful but threatened animal.
The threats to the jaguar are loss of habitat, fragmentation of habitat, poaching and illegal killing by ranchers in retaliation for attacks on their livestock.
As you can see on the map, the historic range of the jaguar extended from the southwestern United States to Argentina. Today, the jaguar's habitat has been cut by 50%. The greatest concentration of jaguars in Mexico is in the Mayan Forest.
The Mayan Forest which encompasses parts of Mexico, Guatemala and Belize, is the largest tropical rainforest in Mesoamerica.
However, every year unplanned expansion of agricultural lands using slash and burn methods cuts into the Mayan Forest.
A jaguar skin and a shotgun hang on the fence of a ranch in the Mayan Forest.
It is not unusual for a stuffed jaguar to decorate the homes of "ranchos" in the Mayan Forest.
A park ranger is responsible for monitoring large mammals, including jaguars.
In pre-Hispanic times the natives held the jaguar in high esteem as a symbol of power. This mural from the ruins of Cacaxtla in the state of Tlaxcala dates from around A.D. 700 and portrays a man wearing a jaguar headdress.
From the Nazca civilization of Peru (7th century A.D.), a piece of fabric portrays a jaguar.
The jaguar continues to be a part of the culture of Mexico today. This jaguar mask was made in the 19th century. It has been passed down from generation to generation and is still used in festivities in Oaxaca.
In the state of Guerrero, villagers dress in jaguar costumes for a ritual wrestling match.
In Chilpancingo, the capital of Guerrero, a man in a jaguar costume emerges from a parish church to participate in a parade.
Some photos of this beautiful animal in the wild...
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