Discussion 



57 



The Isla Cancun Midden is a sealed Late Forma- 

 tive (Chicanel) deposit of human debris dated by 

 radiocarbon at 250 B.C. It consists of a mixture of 

 shell, turde, animal and fish bones, pottery and ash. 

 Only a few shell artifacts occurred, and the remains 

 are clearly kitchen refuse of a small population. Such 

 middens are an invaluable asset of archaeology, but 

 this is the first to be excavated in the Maya area. It, 

 therefore, gives us a hitherto unavailable insight into 

 Maya utilization of local fauna for subsistence. And, 

 as we have quite thoroughly collected the modern 

 beaches, it acts as a gauge of possible faunal change 

 over the last 2000 years. This can then be extended 

 to our appraisal of the inland sites, where the shells 

 and not the animals must largely have formed the 

 basis of value. 



Whatever shells occurred in the Cancun Midden 

 were clearly collected for gastronomic purposes, 

 either for the local settlement or for possible trade 

 of the meat to the interior. We, of course, have no 

 evidence of the latter possibility. 



Our tabulations are very surprising, at least to me. 

 First, comparison between the midden collections 

 and those taken on the present-day shore show no 

 change in fauna over the 22 centuries which have 

 elapsed. Second, it is clear that the ancients' appetite 

 for seafood must have been voracious: 99 species 

 are found in the midden, comprising not only the 

 tasty larger conchs, but a variety of other minor 

 molluscs, often scavengers which we, after reading 

 modern works on the subject, would have consid- 

 ered totally inedible. Apparently, the ancients took 

 whatever molluscan fauna was available — and used 

 it for food — and presumably knew what they were 

 about. Where we were able to find molluscs on the 

 present beaches which were not on the menu in the 

 midden, each appeared to be a rarity which had not 

 occurred in our archaeological sample. Table 3 sum- 

 marizes what was eaten at Isla Cancun. 



In present times, most of the larger conchs, Strom- 

 bus, Pleuroploca, Cassis, and Twbinella, are not 

 only eaten by coast-dwellers, but shipped inland 

 (without shell) where transportation is available, to 

 larger inland cities, where they are prepared in 

 escabeche as cocktails or soups which are considered 

 as choice "regional" dishes. One cannot visit the can- 

 tinas of Chetumal without sampling this specialty. 

 Pleuroploca and Turbinella, by the way, because of 

 the darker color of the meat are called not "Concha" 



but "Abulon." In taste they resemble the Pacific 

 gastropod from which they are misnamed. 



Table 3 — MARINE MOLLUSCS FROM 

 ISLA CANCUN MIDDEN, QUINTANA ROO, MEXICO 



Species 



Entire Fragments Total 



GASTROPODA 









Calliostoma jujubinum 



I 







I 



Cittarium pica 



145 



219 



364 



Astraea caelata 



I 







I 



Astraea phoebia 



4 







4 



Astraea t. americana 



I 



I 



2 



Nerita peloronta 



15 



5 



20 



Nerita tessellata 



2 







2 



Nerita versicolor 



66 



30 



96 



Littorina ziczac 



I 







I 



Nodilittorina tuberculata 



I 







I 



Echininus nodulosus 



2 







2 



Tectarius muricatus 



10 



I 



II 



Petaloconchus irregularis 



4 







4 



Planaxis nucleus 



I 







I 



Cerithium eburneum 



3 







3 



Cerithium litcrattum 



2 







2 



Crucibulum auriculum 



I 







I 



Crepidula fornicata 



I 







I 



Strombus costatus 



81 



412 



493 



Strombus gigas 



353 



1518 



1871 



Strombus pugilis 



I 







I 



Strombus raninus 



51 



6 



57 



Cypraea cervus 







1 



I 



Cypraea cinerea 



6 



4 



10 



Cypraea zebra 



25 



14 



39 



Cyphoma gibbosum 



I 







I 



Polinices hepaticus 



I 







I 



Polinices lacteus 



6 



3 



9 



Phalium granulatum 



I 



5 



6 



Cassis tuberosa 



17 



19 



36 



Cypraecassis testiculus 



7 



4 



II 



Charonia variegata 



5 



2 



7 



Cymatium femorale 



I 



I 



2 



Cymatium parthenopeum 



I 







I 



Cymatium pileare 



I 







I 



Tonna galea 







2 



2 



Tonna maculosa 



4 







4 



Ficus communis 



2 







2 



Murex pomum 



I 



I 



2 



Purpura patula 



I 







I 



Thais deltoidea 







I 



I 



Thais rustica 



I 







I 



Columbella mercatoria 



I 







I 



Cantharus auritulus 



2 







2 



Melongena corona 



258 



297 



555 



Melongena melongena 



I 







I 



Busycon coarctatum 



3 



I 



4 



Busycon contrarium 



219 



362 



581 



Busycon spiratum 



8 



II 



19 



Fasciolaria hunteria 



I 







I 



Fasciolaria tulipa 



89 



389 



478 



Pleuroploca gigantea 



14 



70 



84 



