Los mamíferos en la cosmovisión de la cultura maya precolombina

Angélica María Hernández-Ramírez

doi:10.14198/cdbio.30621

Authors

Angélica María Hernández-Ramírez Universidad Veracruzana, Mexico https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2042-8496

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14198/cdbio.30621

Keywords:

Mexican mammals, Pre-Hispanic world, Maya worldview, Pre-Columbian mammals, Ethnozoology

Abstract

Pre-Columbian time was a sacred period full of symbolisms for the inhabitants of the new world. The aim of this research was to integrate the main contributions of Seler, Tozzer & Allen with regard to mammal species depicting in historical sources in Mayan culture. A total of 34 species belonging to 14 taxonomic families were obtained after performing a nomenclature review. Some mammals were depicted into several contexts and scenes. For instance, dog, deer and jaguar were highly important and symbolic-charged species. The integration of Seler, Tozzer & Alle’s works provide a better perspective for understanding the symbolic value of species through artistic and design elements including in Mayan depicts. This research highlights the historical foundation for mammalogy as a modern discipline in Maya region.

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