A study of ancient animal remains reveals that Classic-period Maya societies transported live domestic dogs across vast distances in Mesoamerica. By analyzing chemical signatures in bones and teeth recovered from sites in highland Chiapas, researchers identified dogs with specialized diets and distant geographic origins. The report was published in the Journal of Archaeological Science.
The investigation centers on Moxviquil and Tenam Puente, two ancient Maya settlements located in the mountainous terrain of central Chiapas. During the Middle and Late Classic periods, between 400 and 800 CE, these communities occupied a cultural frontier zone known for robust overland trade routes. Residents lived in valleys and plateaus surrounded by karstic hills and volcanic domes, practicing multi-crop agriculture and hunting wild game in nearby ecozones.
Historically, archaeological research on Maya trade networks has focused primarily on the movement of inorganic goods, such as obsidian, jade, and marine shell. The extent to which live animals were traded across varied ecozones has remained less clear. Domestic dogs held significant cultural roles in Mesoamerica and appear frequently in ancient art, serving as companions, hunting partners, status markers, and ritual offerings. Some historical sources note the presence of specialized dog breeds, including hairless varieties. Researchers set out to determine whether specially bred animals might have been exchanged commercially across long distances alongside traditional commodities.
The project was led by Elizabeth H. Paris of the University of Calgary, alongside researchers from Purdue University, the University of Ottawa, and other partnered institutions. They analyzed faunal specimens excavated from Moxviquil and Tenam Puente, targeting the remains of dogs, deer, and peccaries. The team generated data from ten dog teeth, eight deer bone fragments, and three other large mammal bones, including a peccary and two non-diagnostic fragments. Radiocarbon dating confirmed that the sampled remains belonged to the Middle to Late Classic periods.
To track where the animals originated, the researchers used stable isotope analysis, focusing on strontium. Strontium is a naturally occurring element in soil and rock that gets absorbed by plants and integrated into the bone and tooth enamel of animals as they grow. By mapping the specific ratio of strontium isotopes across different geological zones in Mesoamerica, scientists create an analytical map that matches an animal to the region where it lived during its early development. The team augmented existing regional maps by gathering 45 new plant samples from an east-west corridor in central Chiapas to improve the resolution of the local data.
The investigation also measured stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes in the animal remains. In Mesoamerica, higher carbon values typically indicate consumption of maize, a staple crop with a specific photosynthetic pathway that leaves a distinct chemical marker. Higher nitrogen values correspond to successive steps up the food chain, indicating diets rich in terrestrial meat or marine proteins. Together, these measurements provide evidence about what the animals regularly consumed.
The analysis suggests a clear division in how different animal populations were managed and consumed at the two settlements. Radiogenic strontium ratios for the deer and peccary specimens matched the local geological environment of highland Chiapas. This indicates that these large herbivores were hunted in the hills and wildlands immediately surrounding the cities to provide dietary protein and raw materials.
The dog specimens displayed chemical ratios indicative of distinct geographic origins. At Tenam Puente, the strontium signatures of the dogs pointed to regions such as the Central Karstic Uplands, an area hundreds of kilometers away in the Maya lowlands. Dogs recovered from Moxviquil exhibited an even wider variety of distant origins, matching environments as far off as the middle reaches of the Usumacinta River or the northern Yucatan Peninsula.
Transporting live animals over distances of 500 to 800 kilometers on foot would have required substantial logistical planning. These signatures suggest that live dogs were transported over extensive overland trade networks rather than being bred locally. It points to a sophisticated regional economy where specialized breeding centers may have provided high-quality dogs to distant settlements.
The carbon and nitrogen isotope data provide evidence that these imported dogs experienced specialized feeding regimes. The dogs exhibited exceptionally high carbon and nitrogen values, which surpass the levels found in average Maya dog diets and closely mirror human isotopic profiles. Researchers interpret this as evidence that the animals were fed protein-heavy diets rich in maize. It is probable that they consumed prepared human foods or were purposefully provisioned by their handlers during their lives and transit.
An ongoing challenge for conducting molecular archaeology in the Maya region is the poor preservation of skeletal material. Acidic tropical soils accelerate the degradation of bone collagen, which strictly limits the number of specimens viable for carbon and nitrogen testing. In this study, nearly half of the originally selected samples failed to yield enough collagen for analysis.
Future studies incorporating larger assemblages will be needed to confirm whether these specific specimens represent the broader canine populations of Moxviquil and Tenam Puente. Expanding the analytical methods to include oxygen and sulfur isotopes could help to narrow down the precise geographic origins of traded animals. Continuing to isolate these chemical signatures provides a clearer picture of regional ancient economies and how societies valued specialized animal breeds.
The paper, “Distant provenance of archaeological dogs in Chiapas confirms complex trade networks within Mayan societies,” was authored by Elizabeth H. Paris, Clement P. Bataille, Chris Stantis, Miranda George, Roberto López Bravo, and Gabriel Lalo Jacinto.