Introduction
The Jaguar War God, also known as the Jaguar God of the Underworld, was a very prevalent deity in the Classic Period of the Maya, especially for the elites and ruling class. His main associations are with warfare, hence his nickname, as well as fire and burning. In addition, he may also have a planetary connection.

Iconographic Traits
The Jaguar War God has similar iconography to other deities, such as K’inich Ajaw and God I, with their shared T-shaped tooth, but he also has features that allow him to be differentiated. Most notable are his jaguar features; he has a jaguar ear, a jaguar pattern around his jaw, and at times, he can even have jaguar paws for hands and feet. As previously mentioned, he is more often than not depicted with the large, singular, T-shaped tooth, which can at times be substituted or complemented by an extended upper lip. Like most deities, he also has a large eye, with a curled pupil and several stacked bars beneath, and “god-markings” across his body. These “god-markings”, which can be found on his arms, legs, torso, and even cheek, are usually AK’AB ‘darkness’ glyphs, although there are a few rare depictions where he is marked with LEM ‘shiny’ glyphs instead. The Jaguar War God’s most important piece of iconography may be the cord that loops from his ears, under his eye, to above his nose, where it ends in several twists with a loop at the top. This twisted cord, nicknamed a “cruller” after the pastry, is likely a fire cord, used for drilling fire (Stuart 1998:404-408). Interestingly, the positioning of this fire cord around the eyes resembles one form of the EK’ ‘star’ glyph.

Extended Names and Titles
Like a few other deities, including the related God I of the Palenque Triad, the Jaguar War God’s name has eluded decipherment. Luís Lopes has suggested a reading of Chuwaaj, “Burned One” (Lopes 2003); however, this idea has yet to be fully agreed upon. The extended names of the Jaguar War God are not as straightforward as those of K’inich Ajaw or God I of the Palenque Triad. The most common word attached to the Jaguar War God’s name is ihk‘ “black”, which fits, given his associations with darkness. A lengthier extension of this name can be found at Motul de San Jose, Naranjo, and Yaxha: Yax Unen Bahlam Ihk’ “JWG”, which can be read as New Infant Jaguar Black “JWG.” Two localized aspects of the Jaguar War God are also known from Yaxchilan. One is K’an Wi’ “JWG,” and the other is Took’al Ajaw; respectively, they can be read as Ripe Food “JWG” and Flint Lord.

There is also at least one known title associated with the Jaguar War God, Ihk’ Huunal (Looper 2003:168). This title, which can be found attached to the Jaguar War God’s name or on its own, may explain the headband that the Jaguar War God is depicted with when he is in the court of God L. This headband features the head of the Jester God, which would normally imply the headband to be the Sak Huun, but the title that the Jaguar War God appears with suggests otherwise. This title and headband also show that the Jaguar War God had a prominent role in the hierarchy of God L’s court, just as God I of the Palenque Triad has a prominent role in the court of God D, Itzamnaaj.

Glyph Uses
The Jaguar War God’s head glyph has several uses other than acting as his own name. It can act as the head variant for the number seven, the day Kib, and the month Wo. It also has a use representing one of the three versions of Glyph C in the Lunar Series. The other two heads used in Glyph C are a skeletal head and the head of either the Maize God or the Moon Goddess. The Jaguar War God’s head glyph itself can be substituted by a glyph resembling his eye. This eye glyph can be used in any of the circumstances in which the Jaguar War God’s head can be used; the two glyphs would seem to be entirely interchangeable.

Known Myths
The Jaguar War God appears in quite a few myths from the Maya, many of which are depicted on various vessels from the Late Classic. These include the 4 Ajaw 8 Kumk’u creation event, the hunting and defeat of a monstrous shark, and the defeat of the Jaguar War God by several young men. At the 4 Ajaw 8 Kumk’u creation event that takes place on the Vases of the Seven and Eleven Gods (K2796, K7750), the Jaguar War sits at the front of the row of attendees seated before God L. This positioning suggests not only that the Jaguar War god had a prominent role in the event, but that he has an important role in the hierarchy of God L’s court, especially since he wears the Jester God headband (Figure 1F).

The next myth that the Jaguar God of War appears in is the rebirth and resurrection of the Maize God. He, along with several other T-shaped tooth deities, pursues, captures, and kills a monstrous shark to rescue the Maize God, who emerges from its jaws (Figure 1B, K0595, K9152). The Jaguar War God then oversees the next portion of the myth. After the Maize God is rescued, he is handed off to the Paddler Gods, who ferry him back to the world of the living. The Jaguar War God watched this take place from his position within an EK’ ‘star’ glyph in the sky (Crim 2026).

In both the 4 Ajaw 8 Kumk’u creation and the rescue of the Maize God, the Jaguar War God appears with his frequent companion, the Pax God. The two deities even appear together in non-mythic scenes, such as K5053, where they each appear in their own carved sections of the ceramic vessel, or on the paired stelae A and C at Quirigua, where the two deities are depicted in full. I suspect that this close relationship may have to do with their possible planetary identifications, the Jaguar God of War being Venus at Dusk and the Pax God being Mercury at dusk, celestial objects that often appear together in the evening sky (Crim 2025).

A myth from Naranjo involves the sacrifice of the Jaguar War God, which can be seen on three polychrome vessels, K1299, K4118, and K4598. On K1299 and K4598, he is being burned alive, and on K4118, he is being stoned. Naranjo Stela 35 describes the scenes on these vases; it mentions the burning and decapitation of the Jaguar War God at the hands of the same group of young men.

Roles and Associations
The Jaguar War God’s primary role seems to be with war and fire. His looped fire cord “cruller”, scenes of being burned alive, and his possible name of Chuwaaj “Burned One” all reaffirm this idea. Many rulers have also been depicted impersonating the Jaguar War God, too many to list, and they often hold or wear a small shield with the Jaguar War God’s face. Defeated captives can also be dressed in the guise of the Jaguar War God, such as on Tonina’s monuments 155 and 180. These ideas and associations may stem from the connection that the Jaguar God of War has with Venus in its evening aspect, as Venus in this phase is associated with endings, fire, and war.

Jaguar War God Scenes

Sources
Justin Kerr photograph collection, Dumbarton Oaks, Trustees for Harvard University, Washington, DC.
Crim, Alexander
2025 The Vases of the Seven and Eleven Gods: A New Interpretation. IMS Explorer 53, no. 9 (2025): 1, 3–4.
2026 Shark Hunters of the Horizon: Venus, Mercury, and the Rescue of the Maize God. Aztlander 6, no. 1 (2026): 14-16.
Looper, Matthew G.
2003 Lightning Warrior: Maya Art and Kingship at Quirigua. University of Texas Press.
Lopes, Luís
2003 Some Notes on the Jaguar God of the Underworld.
Staurt, David
1998 The Fire Enters His House: Architecture and Ritual in Classic Maya Texts. In Function and Meaning in Maya Architecture, edited by Stephen Houston, pp. 373-425. Dumbarton Oaks.