The Archaeology of Mesoamerican Animals
Keywords:
archaeologySynopsis
Recognition of the role of animals in ancient diet, economy, politics, and ritual is vital to understanding ancient cultures fully, while following the clues available from animal remains in reconstructing environments is vital to understanding the ancient relationship between humans and the world around them. In response to the growing interest in the field of zooarchaeology, this volume presents current research from across the many cultures and regions of Mesoamerica, dealing specifically with the most current issues in zooarchaeological literature. Geographically, the essays collected here index the different aspects of animal use by the indigenous populations of the entire area between the northern borders of Mexico and the southern borders of lower Central America. This includes such diverse cultures as the north Mexican hunter-gatherers, the Olmec, Maya, Mixtec, Zapotec, and Central American Indians. The time frame of the volume extends from the earliest human occupation, the Preclassic, Classic, Postclassic, and Colonial manifestations, to recent times. The book's chapters, written by experts in the field of Mesoamerican zooarchaeology, provide important general background on the domestic and ritual use of animals in early and classic Mesoamerica and Central America, but deal also with special aspects of human-animal relationships such as early domestication and symbolism of animals, and important yet otherwise poorly represented aspects of taphonomy and zooarchaeological methodology.
Chapters
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Table of Contents
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1. Introduction
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2. Dog Remains from the Marismas Nacionales
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3. Coastal Resources in the City of the Gods
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4. Birds of the Pre-Hispanic Domestic Spheres of Central Mexico
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5. The Zooarchaeology of Olmec and Epi-Olmec Foodways along Mexico's Gulf Coast
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6. Animal Use in the Mixteca Alta, Oaxaca, Mexico
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7. Animal Economies in Pre-Hispanic Southern Mexico
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8. The Use of Animals by the Pre-Hispanic Maya of the Northern Lowlands
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9. Animal Consumption at the Monumental Center of Mayapán
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10. Archaeofauna at Isla Cilvituk, Campeche, MexicoResidential Site Structure and Taphonomy in Postclassic Mesoamerica
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11. Inferring the Archaeological Context through TaphonomyThe Use of the White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in Chinikihá, Chiapas
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12. Late-Nineteenth and Early Twentieth-Century Animal Use by San Pedro Maya and British Populations at Holotunich, Belize
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13. Archaeological Animals of the Southern Maya HighlandsZooarchaeology of Kaminaljuyu
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14. Preliminary Analysis of the Zooarchaeology of the San Cristóbal Site, NicaraguaThe Bounty of Mohammed's Paradise
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15. Molluscs as Food in a Prolific Coastal EnvironmentEvidence for Selective Foraging and Taphonomy from Cueva de los Vampiros (Central Panama)
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16. Pre-Columbian Exploitation of Birds around Panama Bay
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17. Crawling and Walking at the Same TimeChallenges in "Animal Archaeology" in Northern South America
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18. The Dog in the Mexican Archaeozoological Record
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19. Bats in Ancient Mesoamerica
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20. ConclusionFrom Zooarchaeological Remains to a Human Context
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References Cited (included w/each chapter)
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Indexes
