Ocēlōtl

First Appeared: 15th century (1400s CE)

Known for: being used at the battlefront in military campaigns

Last Known: 1521

Allegiance: Aztec Empire (Mexico), centered in Tenochtitlan

Conflicts: The Flower Wars (c. 1450s–early 1500s); Aztec Expansion Campaigns (15th century); The Spanish–Aztec War (1519–1521)

Jaguar warriors or jaguar knights were members of the Aztec military elite, similar to the eagle warriors. They were a type of Aztec warrior called a cuāuhocēlōtl, from cuāuhtli 'eagle' and ocēlōtl 'jaguar'.

The jaguar motif was used due to the belief the jaguar represented Tezcatlipoca. Aztecs also wore this dress at war because they believed the animal's strengths would be given to them during battles. Jaguar warriors were used at the battlefront in military campaigns. They were also used to capture prisoners for sacrifice to the Aztec gods. Many statues and images (in pre-Columbian and post-Columbian codices) of these warriors have survived. They fought with a wooden club, studded with obsidian volcanic glass blades, called a macuahuitl. They also used spears and atlatls.

To become a jaguar warrior, a member of the Aztec army had to capture a total of four enemies from battles. This was said to honor their gods in a way far greater than killing enemy soldiers on the battlefield. For a warrior to kill an enemy was considered clumsy.