Icons of Power investigates why the image of the cat has been such a potent symbol in the art, religion and mythology of indigenous American cultures for three thousand years.
The jaguar and the puma epitomize ideas of sacrifice, cannibalism, war, and status in a startling array of graphic and enduring images. Natural and supernatural felines inhabit a shape-shifting world of sorcery and spiritual power, revealing the shamanic nature of Amerindian world views. This pioneering collection offers a unique pan-American assessment of the feline icon through the diversity of cultural interpretations, but also striking parallels in its associations with hunters, warriors, kingship, fertility, and the sacred nature of political power. Evidence is drawn from the pre-Columbian Aztec and Maya of Mexico, Peruvian, and Panamanian civilizations, through recent pueblo and Iroquois cultures of North America, to current Amazonian and Andean societies.
This well-illustrated volume is essential reading for all who are interested in the symbolic construction of animal icons, their variable meanings, and their place in a natural world conceived through the lens of culture. The cross-disciplinary approach embraces archaeology, anthropology, and art history.

About the Author
Nicholas J. Saunders has held research fellowship and teaching positions in Mexico, the USA, Trinidad, Jamaica and the United Kingdom. He is currently a Visiting Fellow in the archaeology department at Southampton University.

Reviews

'This symposium, illustrated with numerous impressive pots and icons, furnishes a fascinating prehistory of man's relationship with the haughty beauties.' - The Guardian, February 1998.

"...a fascinating pre-history of man's relationship with the haughty beauties." - The Guardian

Book Information
ISBN 9780415513586
Author Nicholas J. Saunders
Format Paperback
Page Count 312
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 580g