C A L L F O R P A P E R S

for a session to be presented at the INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE of the
International Council of Archaeozoology in
Mexico City, 23rd to 28th of August 2006
entitled
Zooarchaeological Evidence of the Ancient Maya and their Environment:
Human Impact on Environment and Environmental Impact on Culture

Session Organizers:
Christopher M. Götz, M.A. (Facultad de Ciencias Antropológicas, Universidad
Autónoma de Yucatán) [log in to unmask]
Kitty F. Emery, PhD. (Environmental Archaeology, Florida Museum of Natural
History) [log in to unmask]

This session explores the close interaction between environment and culture,
as it is expressed in the zooarchaeological
record of the ancient Maya.
Both environmental and anthropological sciences have combined in recent
years in a realization that the relationship between ancient humans and
their environments was never unidirectional or simplistic. The concept of a
"pristine" environment is now recognized as one that existed only before the
arrival of humankind. Environments and humans interact in a dynamic synergy
that results in both ecological and cultural changes over time, leaving no
landscape untouched. On the other hand, no culture exists in a vacuum and it
is increasingly clear that many cultural choices are
mediated by given environmental conditions and particularly by environmental
change. This complex interaction can be observed in the zooarchaeological
record for example with dramatic extinctions or subtle biogeographic,
distributional or morphological changes of animal species. Alternatively,
there can be cultural changes such as shifts in subsistence patterns or
dietary preferences by certain sectors or the whole society in a given area,
changes in the use of certain species as ritual
paraphernalia or status markers, and so on.
The papers in this session will discuss the zooarchaeological evidence for
the impact of the ancient Maya culture on the environment and its animal
populations, ancient responses to environmental conditions and changes, and
the synergystic relationship of humans and environments in this area. We
hope to include researches about sites from the different geographical
regions of the Maya world. The research topics can range through all phases
of this culture: Preclassic, classic, postclassic and colonial. We also
welcome papers about modern interaction and use of faunal resources
in the Maya area under the above described general topic. Theoretical and
methodological discussions are appreciated, as are papers presenting faunal
analysis from any site or area in the subregions of the Maya world. We hope
to use these papers as a sounding board for discussions of the regional
archaeological evidence for cultural/environmental relationships
through time in the Maya world and beyond to the Neotropics in general.

Apart from archaeozoologists in the strict sense we encourage any other
researcher who can provide a useful contribution to the discipline.
Papers on theoretical and methodological issues concerning the topic, as
well as analysis of primary material and general discussions are most
welcomed.


Each speaker will have 15 minutes for presenting the paper and 5 minutes for
answering questions.


By the end of January 2006 we would need from all participants the following
data:
a) Name of primary author (+ Institutional Address, Telephone no., Fax no.)
b) Names and addresses of additional authors
c) Five keywords
d) Full title of submission
e) Abstract (up to 250 words excluding title, authors, and references)


If you are interested in presenting a paper at this session, please contact
us under
[log in to unmask]
before the 30th of May 2005 with a short description of what you plan to
present, together with your basic data.

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