Presentation at the International Council of Archaeozoology XVII Fish Remains Working Group Meeting Univerisity of Tallin, Estonia 2013

1. FISHING IN THE NORTHERN MAYA LOWLANDS
FROM 250 TO 750 A.C: EVIDENCE OF FISH
REMAINS FROM XCAMBÓ,YUCATÁN, MÉXICO
Nayeli G. Jiménez-Cano
Laboratorio de Arqueozoología
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
Facultad de Ciencias Antropológicas
Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán

3. • Fish exploitation evidence
relies on iconography and
written sources.
It is limited by cultural
and aesthetic elements.
Codex Dresden page 76. Classic (1000-1200 A.C)

4. Fish remains survey
From 300 B.C to
1550 A.C

5. • Fish resources available in the Maya region
• Not normally researched
Chronological distribution
of fish remains in the Maya Area
4%
28%
24%
44%
Preclásico (1000 a.C-300 d.C) Clásico (300-1000 d.C)
Posclásico (1000-1521- d.C)
Colonial (1521- 1800 d.C)

6. Few large collections
• Not sieved
• No clear taxonomic and
anatomical identification
• Poor chronological
and contextual information

7. Xcambó
Gulf of Mexico
Caribbean Sea

8. Gulf of Mexico

9. Marshland
Mangrove
swamp
Petenes
Pla$orms
to
avoid
flooding
Mangrove
swamp

11. Materials
• Hand collected
Birds
4%
Mammals
16%
• >5000 faunal remains
– 1268 fish remains: 88% identified
- Classical Period (250-750 A.C)
Mollusks
9%
Reptiles
34%
Fishes
37%

12. Coastal archetypes
XCAMBÓ: A PARADIGMATIC COASTAL SITE
•
Coastal port (based on archaeological and ethnohistorical evidence)

13. Coastal archetypes
XCAMBÓ: A PARADIGMATIC COASTAL SITE
•
Coastal port (based on archaeological and ethnohistorical evidence)
•
Salt-producing emporium

14. Coastal archetypes
PARADIGMATIC COASTAL SITES
•
Coastal port (based on archaeological and ethnohistorical
evidence)
•
Salt-producing emporium
•
Key site in trade operations
•
•
•
•
•
obsidian
pottery
chert
mollusca, stingray spines
salted fishes (Lange 1971, Valdez &
Mock 1991, Andrews 1997).

15. Coastal archetypes
PARADIGMATIC COASTAL SITES
•
Coastal port (based on archaeological and ethnohistorical
evidence)
•
Salt-making emporium
•
Key site in trade operations
•
•
•
•
•
obsidian
pottery
chert
mollusca, stingray spines
salted fishes (Lange 1971, Valdez &
Mock 1991,Andrews 1997).
•
What was the role of the fishes at Xcambó?

16. Paleocultural and paleobiological
implications of ancient Maya fisheries
The role of fishes at Xcambó: local or regional
subsistence?

17. Total fish remains (1689 NISP) identified by Canto (2009), Götz
y Sierra (2012) and Jiménez (2012)

18. Results
Feature typology based on architectural
characteristics
Animal remains do not inform about
functionality of structures given that animal
debris was used to level the platforms of the
various structures in order to avoid flooding
Fish remains distribution by feature typology

19. • Burials: sealed contexts
Burials 1.5 %
Platform fills 98.5%
Fish remains distribution by contexts
• Platform fillings:
mounds composed of
debris (ceramics, lithic,
animal remains)

20. Burials
• Spines and shark teeth for offering blood to the
Gods in the after-life are common in Maya burials.
• At Xcambó none of the former were found.
• Burials reflect an homogenous society (i.e.no
elites).
• Fishes might have been used as food offerings.

21. Platform fillings
Total fish remains (934 NISP) identified by Jiménez
(2012)

22. SKELETAL FREQUENCIES
• Condricthyes: only vertebrae
• Osteichtyes: wide variety of
elements
Relative frequencies of Osteicthyes’ Families from Xcambó

23. Snooks
(Centropomus sp.)
Cranial elements
Axial elements and vertebrae
23%
77%
Element representation (percentages based on NISP)
Relative frequencies of Osteicthyes’ Families from Xcambó

24. Catfish
• A catfish Maya trade has been proposed in Belize
based on the be-heading method (Masson 2004).
• Salting and drying catfish is made with the head
attached to the body (Zohar and Cooke 1997).
• Assuming catfish were preserved branchial bones
should be scarce and cranial elements dominant
(Zohar and Cooke 1997: 64)
• Northern River Lagoon: Application of different
cultural models?
• Xcambó: Bias on recovery methods?

25. Taphonomy

26. Relative frequency of cut marks
Relative frequency of burned remains
• Low frequencies of cut-marks
• Food leftovers?
• No butchery patterns evident (small
sample)
• Burning of wastes?

27. Demersal fishes
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
Traditional fisheries, Oaxaca.
5%
0%
74.14% NISP
Mendocino context. Aztec fishing.
Rizhoprionodon terraenovae
Ariopsis felis
Fishing weights, Island of Jaina.
Megalops atlanticus
Centropomus sp.

28. Benthic fishes
6%
5%
4%
3%
2%
Fishing spear, Oxtankah
1%
0%
12.99% NISP
Dasyatis americana
Ginglymostoma cirratum
Opsanus beta
Mural painting, Mayapan

29. Pelagic fishes
2%
1%
Maya paddle, Belize.
0%
6.59% NISP
Temple of Warriors, Chichén Itzá.
Coastal approach during gametic migrations.
• Fishes most accessible at this time.
• Coastal fisheries backed on artifact evidence.
Maya community, Chiapas.

30. Exploited fishing environments
Marine
12.45 %
Marine-estaurine
46.03 %
Ginglymostoma cirratum
Marine-estaurinefresh water
41.51 %
Megalops atlanticus
Aetobatus narinari
Rizhoprionodon terraenovae
Epinephelus morio
Ariopsis felis
Centropomus sp.

31. Carcharhinidae
indet.
4% Condricthyes indet.
4%
Osteicthyes indet.
4%
More specific taxonomic
identifications needed in order to
fully grasp the paleoecological
determinants of Maya fisheries.
Ginglymostoma
cirratum
4%
Others
27%
Sphyrna sp.
5%
Ariopsis felis
7%
Carcharhinus sp.
23%
Rhizopronodion
terraenovae
9%
Centropomus sp.
13%

32. Conclusions
• Fishing as a local subsistence activity focused on estuarine
environments not necessarily on the coast (i.e. “inland” fisheries?).
• Written sources vs. Remains
• Diversity of biotopes in a restricted area
• Changes in the coastal landscape?
• Poor knowledge on the Fresh vs. Salt water interactions in Maya
times

33. Acknowledgments
• Dr. Eufrasia Roselló, Dr. Arturo Morales and Dr. Christopher
Götz.
• Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología de México
(CONACYT) y Consejo de Ciencia y Tecnología de Yucatán
(CONCYTEY).