Book contents
- World Archaeoprimatology
- Cambridge Studies in Biological and Evolutionary Anthropology
- World Archaeoprimatology
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Contributors
- Foreword
- Acknowledgments
- World Archaeoprimatology
- Part I The Americas
- 1 Monkeys in the City of Gods
- 2 Monkeys and the Ancient Maya
- 3 Monkeys on the Islands and Coasts of Paradise
- 4 Mirroring Desert Societies with Monkeys
- 5 Alterity, Authority, and Ancestors
- 6 Representations of Primates in Petroglyphs of the Brazilian Amazonia
- 7 Nonhuman Primates in the Archaeological Record of Northeastern Brazil
- 8 Lice in Howler Monkeys and the Ancient Americas
- Part II Europe
- Part III Africa
- Part IV Asia
- Index
- References
2 - Monkeys and the Ancient Maya
Using Biological Markers and Behavior for Primate Species Identification in Maya Iconography
from Part I - The Americas
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 03 August 2022
- World Archaeoprimatology
- Cambridge Studies in Biological and Evolutionary Anthropology
- World Archaeoprimatology
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Contributors
- Foreword
- Acknowledgments
- World Archaeoprimatology
- Part I The Americas
- 1 Monkeys in the City of Gods
- 2 Monkeys and the Ancient Maya
- 3 Monkeys on the Islands and Coasts of Paradise
- 4 Mirroring Desert Societies with Monkeys
- 5 Alterity, Authority, and Ancestors
- 6 Representations of Primates in Petroglyphs of the Brazilian Amazonia
- 7 Nonhuman Primates in the Archaeological Record of Northeastern Brazil
- 8 Lice in Howler Monkeys and the Ancient Americas
- Part II Europe
- Part III Africa
- Part IV Asia
- Index
- References
Summary
Understanding how a culture classifies and assigns meaning to nature can provide key insight into that culture. The ancient Maya used images of monkeys in many ways. This study tests whether individual species of monkeys can be identified in Maya imagery and, if so, whether the Maya used images of different species in unique and separate ways or associated with different “human” activities. We identified nine features that could discriminate between the three genera found in the Maya area (Alouatta, Ateles, and Cebus) and scored 106 primate images from Maya pottery. Most images were identifiable as Ateles (65%) with 9% identifiable as Alouatta, a few tentatively identified as Cebus, and 22% unidentified generic monkeys. Ateles were associated more with performance, dancing, and cacao handling, while Alouatta were depicted more in scribal activities. Results indicate that the Maya distinguished between the genera on symbolic levels, associating them with different behaviors and activities.
Human–nonhuman primate interaction, Maya, Primate symbolism, Platyrrhine, Mesoamerica, Neotropics
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- World ArchaeoprimatologyInterconnections of Humans and Nonhuman Primates in the Past, pp. 48 - 62Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2022