Discover the fascinating history behind the powerful Aztec jaguar sculpture in Mexico City! In this bitesize video, explore some details of this stone carving, commissioned by the Aztec ruler Motecuhzoma II. It explains a little about the symbolic significance of jaguars in Aztec culture and why there is a large basin in the back of this jaguar (ocelotl in Nahuatl).

Main artwork:

Jaguar (ocelotl) cuauhxicalli, c. 1500, stone. Collection of Museo Nacional de Antropología, Mexico City.