Turkeys in the Mimbres Valley, New Mexico: Pottery Iconography, Genetics, and Diet

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Birds in Archaeology: New Approaches to Understanding the Diverse Roles of Birds in the Past" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Understanding the cultural and environmental context of turkey (*Meleagris gallopavo) domestication and husbandry contribute to key issues in anthropological archaeology and social zooarchaeology. Despite recent advances in turkey studies in recent years, the extent of domestication and husbandry remains unresolved for the Mimbres Valley in southwestern New Mexico. Using pottery iconography, mitochondrial DNA analysis, and stable carbon and nitrogen bone isotope analysis, I discuss how people lived alongside turkeys during the Mimbres Classic period (AD 1000–1130). Preliminary results indicate that Mimbres potters were familiar with turkey anatomy, haplogroup H2 wild turkeys were more common than haplogroup H1 domesticated turkeys, and turkeys of both genetic lineages consumed a C4 (presumably) maize diet, but some wild turkeys had a non-maize C3 diet. I evaluate possible pathways of domestication, husbandry, and aviculture; socioecological interactions between Mimbres groups and turkeys; and the use of turkeys for ritual and utilitarian purposes during the Classic period. Finally, I provide insights into how Mimbres groups managed turkeys compared to their northern Ancestral Pueblo neighbors.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• Birds in Archaeology: New Approaches to Understanding the Diverse Roles of Birds in the Past

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 32782