Capuchin Monkeys (Cebus capucinus) and the Ancient Maya

Datos Bibliográficos

ID6033992
AutoresM Baker (0000-0002-8121-9754, University of California, Riverside, autor de correspondencia)
Año1992
Volumen3
Número2
Páginas219-228
Fecha de publicación1992-01-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaAncient Mesoamerica (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0956-5361 • E-ISSN: 1469-1787
EditorialCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0956536100000651
OpenAlexW2140558264
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas9
Referencias citadas20

Two genera of nonhuman primates that include howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata and Alouatta pigra) and spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) currently are located throughout the Maya region. It has been suggested that the Classic Maya associated these monkeys, especially howler monkeys, with the arts. This view is exemplified in the Popol Vuh and in depictions of monkey-man scribes on Late Classic (c. a.d. 550–900) ceramics. This paper provides evidence that a third genus, the capuchin monkey (Cebus capucinus), is also located in the southern Maya region and may have extended as far north as Belize within the last century. Supporting data are drawn from historic accounts, artifact and faunal analysis, and linguistic data. It is also proposed, based on an interspecific comparison of morphological and behavioral characteristics, that capuchin monkeys rather than howler monkeys are the animals represented in depictions of monkey scribes

Archaeology · Biology · Cebidae · Genus · Geography · Maya · Primate · Zoology · Animal Vocal Communication and Behavior · Primate Behavior and Ecology · Wildlife Ecology and Conservation · Ecology