The Canids of Arroyo Hondo: a reanalysis

Summary

Domestic dogs were an important part of human cultures in the prehistoric American Southwest; the significance of these animals is apparent from ceramic decorations and clay figurines, as well as faunal remains. But how these animals functioned within Southwestern cultures is less well-understood. Prehistoric dogs’ roles in some cases seem to have been similar to those of modern dogs: protector, worker, and pet. However, zooarchaeological data have shown that dogs, like turkeys, were also used as a food resource and might have sometimes been sacrificed or killed as offerings. The use of stable isotope analysis has the potential to clarify the relationships between humans and dogs in the prehistoric American Southwest. In this paper, we present preliminary data from our reanalysis of the canids from Arroyo Hondo Pueblo, a Pueblo IV community in the Northern Rio Grande.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Beyond Domestication: Investigations into the Human-Canine Connection

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 14704