Following the Cattle Assemblage

Abstract

This chapter introduces the underlying theoretical principles that constitute the foundations of the book, including archaeological theory, assemblage theory, and actor-network theory (ANT). The interdependence between cattle and humans in the Circum-Caribbean region during the post-Columbian era is addressed through the metaphor of the itinerary. We look at various stages of a cow's life, including transportation, breeding, management, disassembly, and the use of its byproducts to illuminate the social, historical, and cultural context around them. Cattle, humans, and other non-human actors are considered as assemblages, where reality is a constant flow of matter between entities that create networks and mutually change as they move. ANT is used to model a series of nested assemblages that include cows, humans, and other actants, resulting in complex social fields such as haciendas or slaughterhouses.