Faunal Remains at the La Playa Archaeological site: Subsistence, Bone Artifacts, Dog Burials, and Bird Bundles

Summary

This is an abstract from the "13,000 Years of Adaptation in the Sonoran Desert at La Playa, Sonora" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

La Playa archaeological site is located at Boquillas Valley, Sonora, northwestern Mexico. Animal remains studied pertain to the Late Archaic/Early Agriculture period (1500/800 BC–AD 200). Their identification revealed different uses for animals as subsistence, bone artifacts, dog burials, and bird bundles. Although agriculture was important for subsistence, hunting was still a crucial requirement for feeding. There were also some anatomical parts of hunted animals used as bone objects. The sample includes 25 artifacts, allowing the identification of manufacture techniques and possible functions as utilitarian or domestic (corn punches, perforators, smother and hammer), ornamental (pins), and votive (associated with a female burial). Dog burials (36 individuals) were also in the same areas but not directly associated with humans. Dogs certainly played an important role, since they received a differential burial treatment than other animals from the site. The estimated heights and body shapes of the La Playa and Arizona dogs are similar to characters known for common Indian dogs. Bird remains utilized for ritual purposes were also found, corroborating their use for several purposes. Ten red-tailed hawk individuals were deposited as bundles and employed for medical rituals. La Playa offered humans a wide range of resources without traveling very far.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• 13,000 Years of Adaptation in the Sonoran Desert at La Playa, Sonora   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 37764.0