Human-Animal Relations in Chihuahua, Mexico: Exploring the Ontological Turn in Zooarchaeolgy

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Projects taking place in the state of Chihuahua have, in recent years, begun to expand the understanding of local lifeways. The analysis of human-animal relations is perceived to have contributed to a greater understanding of ways in which researchers can reconstruct the lifeways in the past. This paper examines prehistoric lifeway patterns indicated by evidence collected by the Proyecto Arqueológico Chihuahua (PAC) in the Casas Grandes region in Chihuahua, Mexico, by analyzing faunal remains from four sites studied by PAC: CH- 254, CH-218, CH-240, and CH-272. My contributions to this topic come primarily through the analysis of human-animal relations, as seen through the examination of faunal collections. These faunal collections have not had a recent detailed analysis or a substantive writeup, which gives way for an opportunity to explore these data in relation to new theoretical approaches and develop a more holistic understanding of ancient lifeways. Specifically, I am to consider human-animal relations by deploying recent theory on ancient ontologies. The overall goal of this paper is to understand better the role human-animal relations played in supporting economic, social, spiritual, and dietary stability within everyday life throughout PAC and Casas Grandes.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 37236.0