What did the Mayans do with dogs more than a millennium before Christ? A recent study published by researchers from the University of Calgary clarifies a curious practice that the Mesoamerican civilization carried out with dogs.
For years, dogs appeared in the Mayan imagination as more than just pets: they were in art scenes, close to the powerful and within ritual contexts. but now a study shared on Journal of Archaeological Science It added a key piece to understanding its true social and political value.
The Mayans not only bred dogs, They also exchanged them alive over long distances. through well-oiled exchange networks in Mesoamerica.
The research, led by the archaeologist Elizabeth Paris and an international team, focused on dog and deer remains recovered at two Mayan sites in the southern highlands of Mexico: Moxviquil and Tenam Puente, in Chiapas. The goal was to answer a simple, but explosive question: Were they local animals or had they arrived from other territories?
Chemical tracking, the key to research
The key was in a tool increasingly used in archeology: chemical “tracing” using strontium isotopes.
This element is recorded in bones and, above all, in tooth enamel. Because enamel is formed during growth and does not change afterwards, it functions as a kind of “document” of the place where the animal was raised; the bone, on the other hand, can reflect subsequent movements. Using this method, the team built an isotopic map to compare chemical signals on a Mesoamerican scale.
The result was overwhelming: while the deer analyzed appeared to be local (probably hunted as wild animals), most dogs weren’t. Their isotopic signatures suggest that they had been raised in lowland Mayan kingdoms and then moved to the highlands, on long-distance journeys that connected regions such as northern Yucatán with central Chiapas.
There was another revealing piece of information: carbon and nitrogen analyzes suggested that these “imported” dogs received an unusually rich diet, with a lot of corn and meat, very similar to human diet. This reinforces the idea that they were not simple utilitarian animals: They were cared for, valued and, probably, intended for specific uses.
Why did dogs move along such extensive routes?
The statement from the University of Calgary raises a hypothesis with a political flavor: in lowland Mayan art, kings are seen traveling in hammocks with a small dog nearby, which opens the door for some animals to be alliance gifts or even elite possessions.
The exact breed is not yet confirmed, although the xoloitzcuintli is mentioned as a possibility (due to compatible dental traits), and the team plans to add DNA analysis to refine the answer.
