Maya Turkey Management and Domestication at Mayapan

Summary

It has been largely assumed within Maya archaeological research that the native ocellated turkey (Meleagris ocellata) was consumed but not managed, and the domesticated Mexican turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) wasn’t introduced to the Maya region until 1000-1500 AD. Recent investigations have begun to question these assumptions and our research aims to further illuminate this complex topic. Through morphometric and stable isotope analyses of zooarchaeological remains of both species, we investigated the possible management of ocellated turkeys and the timeframe of Mexican turkey introduction at the Postclassic site of Mayapan. Throughout the study, particular attention was paid to differences in turkey remains associated with elite and non-elite, and domestic and ritual structures, to explore how wild and managed turkey populations were used and potentially managed in ancient Maya society.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage