96 



Elsewhere in the Neotropics, indigenous and mestizo groups also consumed prey other than 

 manmials and birds. For example, iguanas (Iguana iguana) and river turtles (Dermatemys spp. , 

 Kinostemon spp., and Pseudemys spp.) were taken by Maya hunters in Belize for meat (Frost, 1974, 

 1977). In Nicaragua, Miskito Indians consumed large quantities of fish (e.g., Arius melanopus and 

 Bagre marinus), shrimp (Penaeus spp.), and marine (Chelonia mydas and Eretmochelys imbricata) and 

 freshwater (Pseudemys spp.) turtles (Nietschmann, 1972, 1973, 1979). Fish (27 spp.) and turtle and 

 iguana eggs were taken by Creole mestizos in Costa Rica (Frost, 1974). In Guatemala, Maya Indians 

 consume ants (J. E. Jimenez, pers. comm.). Fish, insects, reptiles, and amphibians were also widely 

 taken by mestizos and indigenous peoples in South America (Beckerman, 1983; Chemela, 1985; 

 Dufour, 1987, 1990; Hames, 1979; Hill and Hawkes, 1983; Posey, 1987; Redford and Robinson, 

 1987; Slocks, 1983; Vickers, 1984). These studies suggested that Maya hunters at X-Hazil Sur used 

 fewer classes of animals as game than were used by other Indian or mestizo groups in the Neotropics. 



Among the birds and mammals taken by X-Hazil Sur hunters, relatively few species were 

 harvested compared with the number of species taken by other indigenous peoples. Maya hunters In 



Quintana Roo took four species of birds and eight species of mammals. Miskito Indians in Nicaragua 



also took relatively few prey species (about 25 species; Nietschmann, 1972), while Siona-Secoya 

 Indians in Ecuador (Vickers, 1991), Ye'kwana and Yanomamo Indians in Venezuela (Hames, 1979; 

 Saffirio and Hames, 1983), Yuqui Indians in Bolivia (Stearman, 1984, 1990), and Ach6 Indians in 

 Paraguay (Hill and Hawkes, 1983) each took about 50-60 species of game. Clearly, Maya hunters at 

 X-Hazil Sur took fewer species of mammals and birds as game compared with other indigenous groups. _ 



While a subsistence hunter's diet would depend in great measure upon the potential prey 

 species available, the concentration upon a few species birds and mammals by Maya hunters at X-Hazil 

 Sur, although other potential game taxa also were found in the area, but not taken, suggested at least 

 three possibilities; one, Maya hunters were quite selective in the prey they took; two, the other taxa 

 were not available; and three, hunters were able to supplement their diet by purchasing canned meat 

 and caring for domestic animals. 



