Maya hunting sustainability: Perspectives from past and present

Abstract

This discussion will present evidence from two research projects, one zooarchaeological and the other ethnozoological, to address questions of sustainability in past and present Maya hunting practices. Zooarchaeological studies of animal remains from archaeological sites across the Maya region reveal some evidence of unsustainable hunting practices, primarily associated with larger and more politically complex settlements. However, these studies do not point to regional overhunting, biodiversity reduction, or extinctions, indicating that ancient Maya hunting was sustainable over 2,000 years. A second study investigates modern highland Maya hunting ceremonialism and reveals complex attitudes to wild animal harvesting. Belief in an Animal Guardian who determines hunting quotas and appropriate hunting behavior may link to an embedded conservation ethic. However, zoological harvest information gathered from the remains of hunted animals deposited at hunting shrines suggests that modern hunting practices may not reflect that ethic. Together, the two datasets are used to explore issues of complexity in past and present hunting activities. In each study, potentially sustainable practices become less-so under certain circumstances, particularly those causing stress on previously stable animal management systems. Some thoughts are offered on the difficulties and benefits of disseminating these complex results to different audiences. The value of understanding the factors that drive both sustainable and unsustainable practices far outweighs the disadvantages of presenting potentially unpalatable information about indigenous environmental resource management. The difficulty lies in presenting the research to each stakeholder in terms and contexts that are appropriate to understanding the implications of the data.