peleelieved that t s could slo tnc and gically transform themselv tohepe oa jagu transported by thianimal spirit, they road the cosmos gaining knowledge that allowed them to ensure rich harvests, heal the sick and protect the community. rulers also claimed the power to mediate between human and spirituarealms. some are shown cradling a supernatural infant-- part human, part jaguar-- who may have been their link to the spiritual world. similar figures appear on sculptur found at la venta thtirlg me to be altars. but decades later, a clue to their true function was discovered far from the coast, at the mntainous site of oxtotitclan. its name means "place of caves," which ancient mesoamericans regarded as sacred entrances to the underworld, the mythic realm of ancestral and supernatural spirits. a rock painting above the cave mouth shows a ruler wearing a bird mask and feathered costume. his elaborate throne depicts a monstrous supernatural face, similar to tse on the so-called alta of la venta, indicating thathey, too, were ros. priousesearch proposed that la venta was exclusively a site wh