Dogs for the Gods, Fish for the Feast: The Ceremonial Role of Animals at Kaminaljuyu, Guatemala

Abstract

This study examines the ritual and socioeconomic significance of animals in ceremonial contexts at Kaminaljuyu, Guatemala. Kaminaljuyu was once the largest and most politically powerful highland Maya center. We compare faunal remains from different contexts, including burials and dedicatory offerings in and around monumental features, to better understand the role of animals in these deposits. We then compare ceremonial activities across Mesoamerica to identify similarities alluding to widely recognized practices. Late and Terminal Preclassic (350 BC–AD 250) ceremonies at Kaminaljuyu contain some of the earliest marine fish recovered from a Maya highland site, demonstrating the ability of early elites to obtain exotic species for special events. Dogs, including perhaps the first evidence for Preclassic hairless dogs in Guatemala, appear in deposits that resemble canine sacrificial offerings in central Mexico. The new faunal data in this study provide a novel perspective on Kaminaljuyu's sociopolitical role in the region.

Comparison of human and faunal enamel isotopes reveals diverse paleodiet and exchange patterns at the highland Maya Site of Kaminaljuyu, Guatemala

“…Most teeth were recovered as either isolated specimens or as part of a mandible or cranium. In no case was a complete, articulated skeleton recovered, although the Mound E-III-3 and Palangana deposits contained partially articulated dogs, gophers, and small birds, which may have been offerings, feasting remains, or both (Sharpe et al 2022). All specimens were photographed and measured prior to isotope analysis.…”

“…The first two of these locations include the Acropolis and Palangana. ZAK excavations in the Palangana recovered a series of dense concentrations of miscellaneous artifacts, burnt organic material, human remains, and animal bones that mainly consisted of dogs (Ajú Álvarez 2017; Sharpe et al 2022). These deposits date to the Terminal Preclassic period, and may have been closely related in time (they were designated as the "Gran Depósito" or Great Deposit by the excavators, but it is unclear if they were a single deposit).…”

“…The animal remains mainly consisted of deer, dogs, and thousands of fish bones, some of which could be identified to marine species (Lutjanus sp. and Dormitator latifrons; Sharpe et al 2022). The fourth location included in the study was the area around Mounds A-IV-1 and A-IV-2.…”

The Dogs of Tsenacomoco: Ancient DNA Reveals the Presence of Local Dogs at Jamestown Colony in the Early Seventeenth Century

“…The Algonquian-speaking groups of Tsenacomoco that the English encountered when they arrived in Virginia had relied on dogs (attomois or attemous [Strachey 1625:175, 181]) for millennia. Tsenacomocoans not only valued dogs for obvious practical purposes like hunting birds and deer, hauling goods, and as a source of raw material but also recognized their ritual or spiritual value (Albizuri et al 2019;Rountree 1989;Sharpe et al 2022;Speck 1928). Archaeologists have uncovered evidence of Indigenous people burying their dogs, sometimes with humans, throughout the Chesapeake area.…”