TAPIR—TAIPR, DANTA tlacaxolotl; tzimin

The tapir (Tapirus bairdii) competes with the jaguar as the largest quadruped of the tropical forests. Now almost extinct in Mesoamerica, this curious animal is the size of a small pony and can weigh up to 660 pounds. Shy and myopic, it is nonetheless remarkably fast moving for its size and weight. The tapir’s most distinctive feature is its long downcurving snout and upper lip which the animal can use like a rudimentary trunk when it feeds on leaves. The tapir emerges primarily at night to eat its vegetarian diet and swims well. In fact, its need of water restricts the tapir’s habitat to the estuaries and lagoons of the lowlands. Known primarily by reputation in the central plateau, the Aztecs nonetheless had a name for the tapir, that of “monster man” (tlacaxolotl). The Maya associated the tapir with the nocturnal and aquatic creatures of the underworld.

Because the tapir is a voracious eater (it can decimate an entire cornfield at a sitting) and has large genitalia, the animal was reputed to possess large appetites, both culinary and sexual. The tapir’s sexual potency and its frequent immersion in water gave it strong connotations of fertility. In the sixteenth century Yucatec Indians claimed tapirs stored water in their snouts and Mayan rain deities were said to ride tapirs. In this regard, the tapir plays a role in the original creation of real human beings. According to the Cakchiquel Maya, a useful human was created when maize dough was kneaded with the blood of a tapir and serpent.