The Truth About Deer, Turtles, and Dogs: An Examination of the Ancient Maya Human-Faunal Interaction

Abstract

This paper examines how Mayan individuals, families, and communities living in Mesoamerica from approximately 1200 B.C. to A.D. 1550 interacted with deer, turtles, and dogs. Data collated from archaeological, ethnohistoric, ethnographic, and written/artistic records is reviewed, and summarizes the symbolic, ritual, and ceremonial significance of these animals in the Preclassic to Postclassic Maya world.
 Deer, turtles, and dogs played important roles in the subsistence economy of Mayan individuals and family groups. Chi-square statistical analyses of the Number of Identified Specimens (NISP) and Minimum Number of Individuals (MNI) of deer, turtles, and dogs recovered from 10 Mayan archaeological sites (6 inland and 4 coastal) indicates that the availability of these animals differed at inland versus coastal locations and over time. These differences can be attributed to a combination of factors including, but not limited to, local ecosystems, changes in humidity, precipitation, and sunlight conditions, and variations in human exploitation patterns over time.