New Methodological Approaches to Human-Animal Interactions within the Teuchitlán Culture

Summary

This is an abstract from the "From the Underworld to the Heavens: Expanding the Study of Central Jalisco’s Past" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry (ZooMS) has revolutionized the study of Zooarchaeology within the last 15 years. This is especially true for faunal assemblages where traditional methods are not sufficient to identify the specimens to specific taxonomic classifications due to poor preservation conditions for bone. In the case of the faunal assemblages from Los Guachimontones and the Tequila Valleys, ZooMS can be used to provide identifications for morphologically unidentifiable specimens. This is crucial for contextualizing further analytical data, such as stable isotope analysis concerning questions of diet. Combining these zooarchaeology-focused methods with an analysis of animal representations in West Mexican ceramic figurines can increase our understanding of human-animal interactions at Los Guachimontones and other Tequila Valley sites. Based on archaeological contexts and artistic representations, these interactions include utilitarian and ritual uses, as well as the symbolic and ideological associations given to animals by humans. Social Zooarchaeology, as a theoretical framework, can elucidate the multifaceted human-animal interactions that took place in Central Jalisco during the Formative and Classic periods. Analysis of these human-animal interactions can also clarify the degree to which the inhabitants of Los Guachimontones considered animals to have agency and explain the symbolic and ideological associations embodied by certain species.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• From the Underworld to the Heavens: Expanding the Study of Central Jalisco’s Past

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 50735