Faunal remains and Zapotec elite at Monte Albán during the Preclassic and Classic periods: Subsistence, functional, ritual and symbolic aspects

The ancient Zapotec city of Monte Albán, occupied from approximately 500 BC to 850 AD, was prehispanic Oaxaca´s largest and most important urban centre. The zooarchaeological material considered in the study dates from the Late Preclassic (400 BC-200 AD) and Early Classic (200-500 AD) periods, when growth and consolidation of Monte Albán took place. The main topic is related to the subsistence, which allowed the survival of the elite. Other uses of the taxa apart from food were also taken into account such as ritual, symbolic and functional ones. The faunal remains were found in association both with elite households, and with some public spaces near the Main Plaza. The study showed that animals were used in different activities within private and public spaces of the elite, including food processing, consumption and discarding. Some other taxa were also appreciated for their symbolic meaning and functioned as status symbols. According to the identification of the faunal bones not only domestic species such as dog and turkey were part of the diet, but wild animals were also represented by white-tailed deer, peccary and lagomorphs. Occasionally, species including fish and turtles were obtained from the rivers near Monte Albán. Faunal assemblages were probably the product of both daily activities and feasts. Subsistence patterns were detected during different periods of time and areas. The diet of Monte Albán inhabitants was discussed and compared to evidence from contemporary elite societies in the Valley of Oaxaca and Mesoamerica, such as the Mayas and Teotihuacanos.