Oaxaca: Magic of the Jaguar & Sun

Our family recently visited Oaxaca, Mexico which has an incredible indigenous culture, art, history, food and of course a lively mezcal scene. We soaked up this culture and were delighted to learn about the magic of this pre-Hispanic community. We now understand the belief that Oaxaca is the center many wonders including food culture in Mexico!

We learned Oaxaca is a city always celebrating something and in each interaction with locals ask you, "what are you celebrating today?" We were able to watch two different weddings held outside the main church along with their procession of color, music, joy and dance.

Beautiful street with streamers in Oaxaca

The people were open, kind, and respectful. The city was very clean, low-key, safe, and welcoming)

One day we were fortunate to retain a wonderful guide, Franky, feel free to reach out to him if you visit. His Whatsapp is 52 951 570 6360. He came highly recommended and our experiences with him were beyond expectations! Our first day with Franky was to visit Mount Alban, ruins that sit majestically on a flattened hilltop in the Valley of Oaxaca. The site was occupied from 2000-1500 BC first by the Zapotecs.

There was so much to take in visiting these ancient pyramids but the one carving that had the most impact for me personally, was this one below, developed along with other carvings between 500 BC to 800 AD. This one is hidden so Franky decided to share it with us. The jaguar and the sun face eastward so it is meant to be a sunrise through the mountains.

According to preHispanic mythology, the jaguar led the Sun in the dark, helping to fight and defeat the dark of the underworld. The Sun can't see in the dark, and needs the help of the feline because the cat has night vision and can lead the Sun.

She is waiting for the Sun to show up (sunrise) and be born between the mountains. The mythology speaks to the earth delivering in a kind of universal birth. The jaguar is a wise midwife in "alumbramiento" delivery or "nacimiento", birth of the Sun. The jaguar midwife helps the Sun see the light of a new day.

"The sunrise is the new chance life gives us every day after defeating the dark of night", stated Franky. It is a symbol of strength and divinity. The Zapotecs believed the sun was a guardian god and the jaguar the voice of the mountains. The jaguar guides the Sun to its enlightenment.

Mount Alban hidden carving of jaguar & sun facing eastward toward mountains

Here is my thought on this. We are the guardians of our own light and balance in this crazy unsettling time. This small relief brought me a sense of hope. We are living in real time with so much darkness as we take in national news, political cruelty and growing world chaos. However, this image was my personal metaphor for hope, goodness and change. If we all act as guides to the Sun and give birth to our own warrior mentality for good change, we will eventually defeat this dark unsetting time.

Rick Hanson recently wrote an article about being kind to each other and the ripple effect when living with kindness and a new chance for changing our life's outlook. So, find your warrior jaguar and know that the sunrise will always bring new light and powerful change so that the ripples of hope will be felt across a growing vast web of caring positive people.

Created by Sherry Benjamins, Advocate for change and empowering others in our community. Sherry@sbcompany.net