Jaguar Alebrije Mask. Big! Oaxaca, Mexico. Spirit Animal

This guy is really magical and wild. A huge and superbly painted painted hand carved wooden jaguar masks from Oaxaca. This is a tradition form of folk art in Oaxaca. These vibrantly painted animals are called Alebrijes. This one measures about 10x10". It looks bigger than that sounds.

The jaguar in Mesoamerican belief symbolizes strength, balance, leadership, and our physical presence on earth.

All major Mesoamerican civilizations prominently featured a jaguar god, and for many, such as the Olmec, the jaguar was an important part of religious practice.[4] For those who resided in or near the tropical jungle, the jaguar was well known and became incorporated into the lives of the inhabitants. The jaguar's formidable size, reputation as a predator, and its evolved capacities to survive in the jungle made it an animal to be revered. The Olmec and the Maya witnessed this animal's habits, adopting the jaguar as an authoritative and martial symbol, and incorporated the animal into their mythology. The jaguar stands today, as it did in the past, as an important symbol in the lives of those who coexist with this felid.