Since pre-Hispanic times jaguar has been an important element in Guatemalan culture, never the less Guatemalan jaguars are facing serious threats at present that are threatening their survival. In the last ten years important advances in knowledge of Guatemalan jaguar population status and the management actions needed for its long term conservation have been made. Jaguar distribution in Guatemala is estimated to cover 58% of the country and 47.2% of this distribution constitutes protected areas. The Maya Biosphere Reserve (MBR) located in the north of Guatemala constitutes the largest continuous block of tropical forest located in the protected areas of Guatemala. The MBR is a strong hold for jaguar conservation in the country and region, because it potentially maintains genetic flow among Mexican and Belizean jaguar populations. The majority of the information about jaguars in Guatemala comes from the MBR.