From Ritual to Refuse explores the faunal exploitation by the Maya elite at
the site of Chinikihá, Chiapas, during the end of the Late Classic period
(AD 700-850) by applying zooarchaeological and statistical analyses to a
faunal assemblage located in a basurero or midden behind a palatial
structure at the core of the site. This deposit has been interpreted as the
result of one or various feasting events.
The aim is to investigate temporal changes of function, more specifically
during periods of increasing political competitiveness. Moreover, these
analyses suggest that there is a change in the use of faunal resources,
from a ritual pattern to a more general refuse deposit.
The results from the zooarchaeological analysis are supported by a
dietary analysis using d13C and d15N stable isotopes conducted on
human and faunal samples. The results from the faunal assemblage
suggest that there was a constant supply of animals for ritual and nonritual
uses, and that these animals were mostly obtained in the wild.
