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Charles Zidar
ANCIENT MAYA ZOOLOGICAL RESEARCH |
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| Family: | Tayassuidae | | Genus: | Tayassu | | Species: | tajacu | | Authority: | Linnaeus, 1758 | | Common Name: | Collared Peccary | | Maya Name: | Kitam | | Faunal Type: | Mammal | | Depictions: | Polychrome Ceramics | | Significance: | Peccaries were an important part of the Maya diet, especially of the elite. Peccaries were represented in the “transferring of cargo” ceremony (Pohl 1981). Two peccary skulls (one elaborately decorated) were found in the Late Classic tomb I at Copan. Peccary skulls were an important ornament of swearing in ceremonies of acceding rulers (Pohl 1983). | | Photos: | Click on an image below for high resolution comparison. |
Other Faunal Photos: Additional views of the faunal species, click on a photo below to view larger image. |  | | Artifact Photo(s) Courtesy of Justin Kerr (FAMSI); Animal Photo(s) Courtesy of Wikipedia GNU General Public License Version 1.2, November 2002; Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.0/2.5 License(s). |
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