The Jaguar is a fictional character, a

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

superheroine A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses Superpower (ability), ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, t ...

created by artist Laura Molina and published under her privately owned Insurgent Comix

imprint Imprint or imprinting may refer to: Entertainment * ''Imprint'' (TV series), Canadian television series * "Imprint" (''Masters of Horror''), episode of TV show ''Masters of Horror'' * ''Imprint'' (film), a 2007 independent drama/thriller film ...

. The character, created in response to California's 1994 passage of

proposition 187 California Proposition 187 (also known as the ''Save Our State'' (SOS) initiative) was a 1994 ballot initiative to establish a state-run citizenship screening system and prohibit illegal immigrants from using non-emergency health care, public ed ...

, made her

first appearance In comic books and other stories with a long history, first appearance refers to the first issue to feature a fictional character. These issues are often highly valued by collectors due to their rarity and iconic status. Reader interest in fir ...

in '' Cihualyaomiquiz, The Jaguar'' #1 (1996). The Jaguar's secret identity is that of Linda Rivera, an

East Los Angeles East Los Angeles (), or East L.A., is an unincorporated community and census designated place (CDP) situated within Los Angeles County, California, United States. According to the United States Census Bureau, East Los Angeles is designated as ...

law student. Linda lives in an alternate timeline in which proposition 187 has transformed California in to a

police state A police state describes a state whose government institutions exercise an extreme level of control over civil society and liberties. There is typically little or no distinction between the law and the exercise of political power by the exec ...

ruled by right-wing fundamentalist groups, which enact the removal of

equal employment Equal opportunity is a state of fairness in which individuals are treated similarly, unhampered by artificial barriers, prejudices, or preferences, except when particular distinctions can be explicitly justified. For example, the intent of equal ...

and

affirmative action Affirmative action (also sometimes called reservations, alternative access, positive discrimination or positive action in various countries' laws and policies) refers to a set of policies and practices within a government or organization seeking ...

policies. People of color are consistently denied

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...

while racist hate groups are allowed to proliferate throughout the state. Tired of seeing her people persecuted, Rivera dons the mantle of Cihualyaomiquiz, a term from the Aztec language translated as "''Woman ready to die in battle''" and becomes a vigilante known as the Jaguar. She is assisted by local activists groups and makes use of her fighting ability, detective skills and knowledge of the law in her pursuit of

social justice Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...

Publication history

Molina first conceived the Jaguar as a response to California's proposition 187 which was designed to deny illegal immigrants social services, health care, and public education. The proposition would later pass with 58.8% of the vote before being overturned by the United States federal court. Molina viewed the proposition as a license to discriminate and a direct attack on human rights, as explained in her 1996 introduction to the character: The Jaguar made her first published appearance in ''Cihualyaomiquiz, The Jaguar #1'', written and illustrated in 1996 by Laura Molina, with Tomás Benitez assisting with additional story editing and dialogue. The series is on hiatus, but Molina promised further installments.

Fictional character history

Shortly after the passing of proposition 187, the rightwing backlash brings a new attack on civil rights, equal employment and affirmative action. Soon politicians are pushing for a national proposition 187. The right wing becomes corrupted by corporate media conglomerates and super rich while racist hate groups begin to grow more vocal and violent. The dignity of minority groups is assaulted on a daily basis with increasing violence against

Chicano Chicano (masculine form) or Chicana (feminine form) is an ethnic identity for Mexican Americans that emerged from the Chicano Movement. In the 1960s, ''Chicano'' was widely reclaimed among Hispanics in the building of a movement toward politic ...

activist groups. After witnessing the racist authority of California firsthand, Linda Rivera reclaims her heritage by reuniting with her native history. Adopting the mantle of Cihualyaomiquiz, dedicates her vigilante activities to Huitzilopochtli, the Aztec god of war. Every night she performs an ancient ritual in which

copal Copal is a tree resin, particularly the aromatic resins from the copal tree '' Protium copal'' ( Burseraceae) used by the cultures of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica as ceremonially burned incense and for other purposes. More generally, copal includ ...

is lit and calls upon her

nahual In Mesoamerican and Toltec spiritual traditions, a Nagual (from the Nahuatl word nāhualli) refers to a human being who can access spiritual power through transformation or deep connection with their Tonal (mythology), tonal counterpart. This abil ...

(spirit guide) to transform into her alter ego as The Jaguar. During one of her first adventures, she is shown to have received important information from an unnamed activist group in order to steal some important legal documents. Along the way she encountered two neo-nazis in a back alley doing drugs. They attempted to overpower her, but she easily dispatches of the two of them. Before leaving she concludes the altercation by congratulating them for being so lucky, because "after all, my ancestors used to eat their enemies."

Literary analysis

Since the character's debut, the Jaguar has been interpreted and discussed in other forms. One notable example appears in Laura E. Pérez' '' Chicana Art: The Politics of Spiritual and Aesthetic Altarities'',Chicana Art: The Politics of Spiritual and Aesthetic Altarities by Laura E. Pérez
/ref> in which the comic book was compared to Art Spiegelman's ''

Maus ''Maus'', often published as ''Maus: A Survivor's Tale'', is a graphic novel by American cartoonist Art Spiegelman, serialized from 1980 to 1991. It depicts Spiegelman interviewing his father about his experiences as a History of the Jews in P ...

'':

References

Sources

* * Frederick Luis Aldama (2009): ''Your Brain on Latino Comics'', University of Texas Press,

External links