Animals in Latin American History

Abstract

The evolutionary history of vertebrate nonhuman animals such as mammals in what is now Latin America extends back tens of millions of years. Given that anatomically modern humans first appeared in Africa a mere 200,000 years ago and would not reach Latin America until some 12,000 years ago, nonhuman animals in the region evolved for most of their history without interference from human activities. Once they appeared, humans began to shape the history of the region’s animals in profound ways. In fact, one could argue that animal history in Latin America has been a story of increasing human impact; from the Paleo-Indians, who may have driven countless species of megafauna to extinction; to the agrarian societies that domesticated species such as dogs, turkeys, and llamas (or tolerated the animals’ self-domestication); to the radical transformations brought about by the Columbian Exchange; to the industrialization process of the last two centuries. But animal history in the region is also marked by adaptation and agency on the part of animals, who have influenced the course of human history. This dynamic and adaptive human–animal relationship has been pushed to the limit during extinction pulses, manifest in the currently accelerating biodiversity crisis. Environmental history makes the convincing case that any historical account that neglects the environment offers an inaccurate depiction of the past. By the same token, animal historians suggest that a more complete understanding of history requires redefining its boundaries to include the often underappreciated story of nonhuman species and their interrelationships with human societies.

From the Approach to the Concept: One Health in Latin America-Experiences and Perspectives in Brazil, Chile, and Colombia

“…Human appearance has profoundly affected and shaped the health and life of native American animals, which subsequently led to a long history of the increasing human impact: from the Paleoindians, who may have caused the extinction of several Latin American megafauna species, to the Columbian Exchange that brought exotic species from the Old World, such as horses, cattle, sheep, dogs, domesticated American native species including turkeys, llamas, and alpacas, which brought extinction to several native American species. In such a similar dynamic scenario, animals have also influenced human history in an adaptive and interdependent human-animal relationship in Latin America ( 7 ).…”

“…Since the topic is still controversial and open to discussion, further studies should establish a more stringent use of the said terms, which should be disseminated through teaching and training in all curricula worldwide. Regardless, a comparison of the three holistic approaches to health has been proposed (5), and One Health concepts may be given by practical examples, as already described (6).…”

History of Diversification and Adaptation from North to South Revealed by Genomic Data: Guanacos from the Desert to Sub-Antarctica

“…This historical epoch marked a transformative period, where heightened human activities, particularly the hunting and utilization of guanacos, contributed discernibly to demographic shifts ( Diaz-Maroto et al 2021 ). A progressive decrease in population size became apparent, suggesting a gradual decline possibly linked to the intensified utilization of guanacos during and after the Spanish colonization ( Vergara 2018 ).…”

Wild and trapped: a history of Colombian zoos and its revelations of animal fortunes and State entanglements, 1930s-1990s

“…Given that many of these American animals had survived previous glaciations but had not been exposed to Homo sapiens' spears, the debate on the causes of extinction tends to place the blame on human hunters over climate change. Thus, it seems that our ancestors deprived our continent of giant sloths, armored glyptodonts and litopterns, those herbivores that resemble camels with trunk-like noses (Koch, Barnosky, 2006;Stuart, 2015;Vergara, 24 May 2018). In their absence, Latin American zoos took advantage of the smaller fauna living in native ecosystems.…”

“…This article enriches the literature on zoos, which has focused on the developed world, as Vandersommers' and McDonald's 2019 overview demonstrates. It follows in the steps ofDuarte's (26 Sept. 2017 work on Latin American zoos, and of those scholars who are building the field of Latin American animal history (seeFew, Tortorici, 2013;Vergara, 24 May 2018). It also takes its inspiration fromSharma and Gupta (2006) in their approach to studying the state.2 I thank Gustavo Villa for sharing with me the materials of his exhibit.…”