A taphonomic and osteomorphometric approach to the study of prehispanic dog breeds from the northern Maya Lowlands

The present work consists of a taphonomic and osteomorphometric study of archaeofaunal remains from dogs excavated at prehispanic sites of the northern Maya lowlands, dating to the Classic and Postclassic periods (ca. AD 250-1500).This study goes beyond the information provided by other types of data, such as ceramics or iconography. The materials studied come from disturbed contexts in the Maya sites of Chichen Itza, Champoton, Xcambo, Siho, and Yaxuna.

During this research project osteomorphometric studies were used to establish parameters between different skeletal specimens that formed the sample so that they could be compared to the five standard breeds of dogs present in precolumbian Mesoamerica. Taphonomic studies were used to determine which of the marks on the bones were the results of human action and which were caused by other factors.

Finally, it is noted that most of the bone measurements used in the analysis were retaken from the studies of von den Driesch (1976), while a fraction were proposed by the author in order to complement the research data. We determined that at least four of the five breeds of dogs were present in the Maya area in pre-Columbian times.