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Presentation at the International Council of Archaeozoology XVII Fish Remains Working Group Meeting Univerisity of Tallin, Estonia 2013
Citation preview
FISHING IN THE NORTHERN MAYA LOWLANDS FROM 250 TO 750 A.C: EVIDENCE OF FISH
REMAINS FROM XCAMBÓ,YUCATÁN, MÉXICO
Nayeli G. Jiménez-Cano
Laboratorio de Arqueozoología Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
Facultad de Ciencias Antropológicas
Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán
• Fish exploitation evidence relies on iconography and
written sources.
Codex Dresden page 76. Classic (1000-1200 A.C)
It is limited by cultural and aesthetic elements.
Fish remains survey
From 300 B.C to 1550 A.C
• Fish resources available in the Maya region
• Not normally researched
28%
44%
24%
4%
Chronological distribution of fish remains in the Maya Area
Preclásico (1000 a.C-300 d.C) Clásico (300-1000 d.C)
Posclásico (1000-1521- d.C) Colonial (1521- 1800 d.C)
Few large collections
• Not sieved
• No clear taxonomic and anatomical identification
• Poor chronological
and contextual information
Gulf of Mexico
Caribbean Sea
Xcambó
Gulf of Mexico
Pla$orms to avoid flooding
Marshland
Mangrove swamp
Mangrove swamp Petenes
• Hand collected • >5000 faunal remains
– 1268 fish remains: 88% identified - Classical Period (250-750 A.C)
Fishes 37%
Reptiles 34%
Mammals 16%
Birds 4%
Mollusks 9%
Materials
XCAMBÓ: A PARADIGMATIC COASTAL SITE
• Coastal port (based on archaeological and ethnohistorical evidence)
Coastal archetypes
XCAMBÓ: A PARADIGMATIC COASTAL SITE • Coastal port (based on archaeological and ethnohistorical evidence) • Salt-producing emporium
Coastal archetypes
PARADIGMATIC COASTAL SITES • Coastal port (based on archaeological and ethnohistorical
evidence) • Salt-producing emporium • Key site in trade operations
• obsidian • pottery • chert • mollusca, stingray spines • salted fishes (Lange 1971, Valdez & Mock 1991, Andrews 1997).
Coastal archetypes
PARADIGMATIC COASTAL SITES • Coastal port (based on archaeological and ethnohistorical
evidence) • Salt-making emporium • Key site in trade operations
• What was the role of the fishes at Xcambó?
• obsidian • pottery • chert • mollusca, stingray spines • salted fishes (Lange 1971, Valdez & Mock 1991,Andrews 1997).
Coastal archetypes
Paleocultural and paleobiological implications of ancient Maya fisheries
The role of fishes at Xcambó: local or regional
subsistence?
Total fish remains (1689 NISP) identified by Canto (2009), Götz y Sierra (2012) and Jiménez (2012)
Fish remains distribution by feature typology
Feature typology based on architectural characteristics
Animal remains do not inform about functionality of structures given that animal debris was used to level the platforms of the various structures in order to avoid flooding
Results
Fish remains distribution by contexts
Platform fills 98.5%
Burials 1.5 %
• Burials: sealed contexts
• Platform fillings: mounds composed of
debris (ceramics, lithic, animal remains)
• Spines and shark teeth for offering blood to the Gods in the after-life are common in Maya burials.
• At Xcambó none of the former were found.
• Burials reflect an homogenous society (i.e.no elites).
• Fishes might have been used as food offerings.
Burials
Total fish remains (934 NISP) identified by Jiménez (2012)
Platform fillings
SKELETAL FREQUENCIES
• Condricthyes: only vertebrae
• Osteichtyes: wide variety of elements
Relative frequencies of Osteicthyes’ Families from Xcambó
Relative frequencies of Osteicthyes’ Families from Xcambó
23% 77%
Cranial elements Axial elements and vertebrae
Element representation (percentages based on NISP)
Snooks (Centropomus sp.)
• A catfish Maya trade has been proposed in Belize based on the be-heading method (Masson 2004).
• Salting and drying catfish is made with the head attached to the body (Zohar and Cooke 1997).
• Assuming catfish were preserved branchial bones should be scarce and cranial elements dominant
(Zohar and Cooke 1997: 64)
• Northern River Lagoon: Application of different cultural models?
• Xcambó: Bias on recovery methods?
Catfish
Taphonomy
Relative frequency of burned remains
Relative frequency of cut marks
• Food leftovers?
• Burning of wastes?
• Low frequencies of cut-marks
• No butchery patterns evident (small sample)
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
Demersal fishes
Mendocino context. Aztec fishing.
Traditional fisheries, Oaxaca.
Fishing weights, Island of Jaina.
74.14% NISP
Rizhoprionodon terraenovae Ariopsis felis
Megalops atlanticus Centropomus sp.
Mural painting, Mayapan
Fishing spear, Oxtankah
0%
1%
2%
3%
4%
5%
6%
Benthic fishes
12.99% NISP
Dasyatis americana Ginglymostoma cirratum Opsanus beta
Temple of Warriors, Chichén Itzá.
Maya paddle, Belize.
Coastal approach during gametic migrations.
• Fishes most accessible at this time.
• Coastal fisheries backed on artifact evidence.
•
Maya community, Chiapas.
0%
1%
2%
Pelagic fishes
6.59% NISP
Exploited fishing environments
Marine Marine-estaurine Marine-estaurine-
fresh water 46.03 % 12.45 % 41.51 %
Rizhoprionodon terraenovae
Aetobatus narinari
Epinephelus morio
Ginglymostoma cirratum
Ariopsis felis
Megalops atlanticus
Centropomus sp.
Carcharhinidae indet.
4% Condricthyes indet. 4%
Osteicthyes indet. 4%
Ginglymostoma cirratum
4%
Sphyrna sp. 5%
Ariopsis felis 7%
Rhizopronodion terraenovae
9%
Centropomus sp. 13%
Carcharhinus sp. 23%
Others 27% More specific taxonomic
identifications needed in order to fully grasp the paleoecological
determinants of Maya fisheries.
• Fishing as a local subsistence activity focused on estuarine environments not necessarily on the coast (i.e. “inland” fisheries?).
• Written sources vs. Remains
• Diversity of biotopes in a restricted area
• Changes in the coastal landscape?
• Poor knowledge on the Fresh vs. Salt water interactions in Maya times
Conclusions
Acknowledgments
• Dr. Eufrasia Roselló, Dr. Arturo Morales and Dr. Christopher Götz.
• Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología de México (CONACYT) y Consejo de Ciencia y Tecnología de Yucatán (CONCYTEY).