MCMJ+J2 Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico
The Temple of the Jaguar in Chichen Itza was built between 1000 and 1150 AD. It received its name from the images of jaguars located in front of the structure. The temple consists of several levels covered with intricate carvings and various types of images. Two giant feathered serpents form columns in the vestibule, while the interior walls are richly decorated with stone. To build this building, a long staircase was made on the eastern platform of the Great Ball Court, as well as a small structure at its southern end, modeled after the temples of the North and South courts. To reach the upper level, which is about 10 meters high, a pyramidal base and a narrow staircase attached to its southern side were constructed. The top of the Temple of the Jaguar in Chichen Itza is supported by massive snake-shaped columns covered with skillfully executed sculptural ornaments. Inside, the walls and ceilings were covered with drawings and paintings depicting human figures, battles, houses, trees, and scenes of domestic life.
The building and staircase were constructed on a base facing the outer plaza, with reliefs hinting at the god Kukulkan, who looks westward. The facade consists of an inclined and smooth vertical wall, a slightly protruding band, and a frieze between two panels, fully decorated with bas-reliefs based on stone mosaic.
The facade walls of the building are decorated with warriors and the square of the bird-serpent man, as well as three gaps formed by two pilasters, which also depict figures of warriors and panels showing the god Kukulkan as the lord of the earth and vegetation.
The entire interior is decorated with rows of warriors with atlatls, feather headdresses, chest butterflies, belts with back discs, soft sleeves, etc. There you can see a man sitting on a jaguar throne, similar to the one located between the two pilasters of the building, and a military leader with a feathered serpent in the background. The rest of the composition is filled with hooks, curls, and interlacings, some vegetables, but in a more calligraphic style that seems to indicate that the original aesthetic meaning is lost.
The lower part of the Temple of the Jaguar is located on one of the long sides of the Great Ball Court, its facade facing the Grand Plaza with the Tzompantli platform in the front right part, followed by the Temple of the Eagles and Jaguars. To the front right, you can see the pyramid of Kukulkan.
Sources:
Thomas H. Wilson: Architecture and Chronology at Chichén Itzá, Yucatán
