Ancient Mayans Consumed and Sacrificed Domesticated Turkeys

Posted on August 16, 2012

A new University of Florida study has found that the turkey was domesticated more than 1,000 years earlier than previously believed. The researchers discovered Mexican turkey bones in an an ancient Mayan archaeological site in Guatemala. The Mexican turkey (Meleagris gallopavo gallopavo) is the ancestor of all domestic turkeys consumed in the world today and Mesoamerica's only indigenous domesticated animal. The discovery of the bones south of the turkey's natural range shows animal exchange occurred from northern Mesoamerica to the Maya cultural region during the Late Preclassic period from 300 B.C. to A.D. 100.

The discovery of the turkey bones is significant because the Maya did not use a lot of domesticated animals. Lead author Erin Thornton, a research associate at the Florida Museum of Natural History on the UF campus and Trent University Archaeological Research Centre, says the Maya cultivated domesticated plants, but most of their animal protein came mostly from wild resources.

Thornton also says, "We might have gotten the timing of the introduction of this species to the ancient Maya wrong by a significant chunk of time. The species originates from central Mexico, outside the Maya cultural area. This is the species the Europeans brought back with them to Europe - all domestic turkeys originated from Mexico."

These turkeys were probably used as part of important sacrifice and feast. Thornton says, "The turkey bones came from right within the ceremonial precinct of the site, so these are probably the remains of some sort of elite sacrifice, meal or feast."

Florida State University anthropology professor emeritus Mary Pohl says, "This study is extremely significant and I think it opens up a whole new perspective on the Maya and animal domestication. I find it especially interesting that these turkey bones are in this very special pyramid context because people often think of turkeys as something to eat, but they were probably making some sort of special offerings of them, which would go along with the fact that they brought them in from a long distance."

The research was published here in PLoS ONE.

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