Jaguar and puma captivity and trade among the Maya: Stable isotope data from Copan, Honduras.
From Moctezuma's zoo to animals kept in captivity at Teotihuacan, there is increasing evidence that Mesoamericans managed wild animals for a myriad of purposes. The present study situates ritualized animal management of highly symbolic fauna in the broader context of Classic Mesoamerica by exam...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2018-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC6135383?pdf=render |
| _version_ | 1818360558345256960 |
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| author | Nawa Sugiyama William L Fash Christine A M France |
| author_facet | Nawa Sugiyama William L Fash Christine A M France |
| author_sort | Nawa Sugiyama |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | From Moctezuma's zoo to animals kept in captivity at Teotihuacan, there is increasing evidence that Mesoamericans managed wild animals for a myriad of purposes. The present study situates ritualized animal management of highly symbolic fauna in the broader context of Classic Mesoamerica by examining another core site, the Maya center of Copan, Honduras (A.D. 426-822). In this study, we identify two animal populations among the faunal remains from public and private rituals spanning the Copan dynasty. One population, with diets heavily composed of atypically sourced C4 inputs indicative of artificial feeding, corresponds with the felids interred in Altar Q and Motmot caches. The second population is composed of felids and felid products bearing a predominance of C3 signatures indicative of a more natural dietary regime. As with Copan deer, species-specific δ18O variations within these felid populations further substantiates the postulation that an expansive faunal trade network operated throughout the greater Copan Valley and beyond. Animals routed from sites of capture into the mesh of this network would have been processed into pelts, venison and other secondary goods or delivered alive to centers of state power for ritual usage and display. Our data reveal that at Copan, wild animals were routinely brought into intimate contact with human settlements to be managed and physically manipulated in a variety of ways in order to fulfill ritual and symbolic purposes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T21:02:42Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-66f580dce19a40999a6096dcde7fb44e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T21:02:42Z |
| publishDate | 2018-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-66f580dce19a40999a6096dcde7fb44e2022-12-21T23:31:34ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032018-01-01139e020295810.1371/journal.pone.0202958Jaguar and puma captivity and trade among the Maya: Stable isotope data from Copan, Honduras.Nawa SugiyamaWilliam L FashChristine A M FranceFrom Moctezuma's zoo to animals kept in captivity at Teotihuacan, there is increasing evidence that Mesoamericans managed wild animals for a myriad of purposes. The present study situates ritualized animal management of highly symbolic fauna in the broader context of Classic Mesoamerica by examining another core site, the Maya center of Copan, Honduras (A.D. 426-822). In this study, we identify two animal populations among the faunal remains from public and private rituals spanning the Copan dynasty. One population, with diets heavily composed of atypically sourced C4 inputs indicative of artificial feeding, corresponds with the felids interred in Altar Q and Motmot caches. The second population is composed of felids and felid products bearing a predominance of C3 signatures indicative of a more natural dietary regime. As with Copan deer, species-specific δ18O variations within these felid populations further substantiates the postulation that an expansive faunal trade network operated throughout the greater Copan Valley and beyond. Animals routed from sites of capture into the mesh of this network would have been processed into pelts, venison and other secondary goods or delivered alive to centers of state power for ritual usage and display. Our data reveal that at Copan, wild animals were routinely brought into intimate contact with human settlements to be managed and physically manipulated in a variety of ways in order to fulfill ritual and symbolic purposes.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC6135383?pdf=render |
| spellingShingle | Nawa Sugiyama William L Fash Christine A M France Jaguar and puma captivity and trade among the Maya: Stable isotope data from Copan, Honduras. PLoS ONE |
| title | Jaguar and puma captivity and trade among the Maya: Stable isotope data from Copan, Honduras. |
| title_full | Jaguar and puma captivity and trade among the Maya: Stable isotope data from Copan, Honduras. |
| title_fullStr | Jaguar and puma captivity and trade among the Maya: Stable isotope data from Copan, Honduras. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Jaguar and puma captivity and trade among the Maya: Stable isotope data from Copan, Honduras. |
| title_short | Jaguar and puma captivity and trade among the Maya: Stable isotope data from Copan, Honduras. |
| title_sort | jaguar and puma captivity and trade among the maya stable isotope data from copan honduras |
| url | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC6135383?pdf=render |
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