Described as a “leopard on steroids,” the jaguar is the largest of the cats of the New World. This regal feline became a symbol of authority and one's prowess in hunting and battle, as well as an integral part of mythology and a powerful spirit companion for shamans, who often associate the jaguar as a nagual, which protects the shaman from evil spirits and when they move between the earth and the spirit realm. In order for the shaman to combat whatever evil forces may be maligning him, or those who rely on the shaman for protection, it is necessary for the shaman to transform himself and crossover to the spirit realm. The jaguar is often chosen as a nagual because of its strength, for it is necessary that the shaman dominate the spirits, in the same way as a predator dominates its prey. The jaguar is said to possess the transient ability of moving between worlds because of its comfort in the trees and the water, their ability to hunt as well in the nighttime as in the daytime, and their habit of sleeping in caves, places often associated with the deceased ancestors. The concept of the transformation of the shaman is well documented in Mesoamerica and South America, and is demonstrated through the prominence of the runauturuncu, and other sculpture illustrating jaguar transformation. Throughout South America the feline is believed to be the alter ego of the shaman. Some teachers of Inca shamanism use the jaguar as the archetype of the kaypacha. Others place it on an Inca medicine wheel. Source: Inca Glossary