In Mayan society, the jaguar was a symbol of elite status and power. Members of the elite often wore the pelts of jaguars to show their prestige. Images of jaguars, such as that on the face of this funerary urn from Guatemala’s classic period (600-950), were used to denote elite status. The intricate work and jaguar on the face of this urn suggests that it contained the remains of an important Mayan of some status.