Werejaguar
![A stone Olmec were-jaguar, showing common were-jaguar characteristics including a downturned mouth, almond-shaped eyes, pleated ear bars, a headdress with headband, and a crossed-bars icon on the chest](/Images/godic/202502/20/Jaguarbaby1219.jpg")
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![Monument 52 from San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan, showing a classic were-jaguar figure. The long deep groove carved into the back of this sculpture indicates it was part of the drainage system, associating the were-jaguar with rain and water.](/Images/godic/202502/20/Seated_Olmec_Jaguar_from_San_Lorenzo,_Veracruz1220.jpg")
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The were-jaguar was both an Olmec motif and a supernatural entity, perhaps a deity.
The were-jaguar motif is characterized by almond-shaped eyes, a downturned open mouth, and a cleft head. It appears widely in the Olmec archaeological record, and in many cases, under the principle of pars pro toto, the were-jaguar motif represents the were-jaguar supernatural. The were-jaguar supernatural incorporates the were-jaguar motif as well as other features, although various academics define the were-jaguar supernatural differently. The were-jaguar supernatural was once considered to be the primary deity of the Olmec culture but is now thought to be only one of many.