I have been photographing the birds and insects of Guatemala since I lived in Tikal at age 19. But with the advent of digital photography it became even easier. Based on studying Maya murals, decorated pottery, and ethnographic folklore, we have drawn up a comprehensive list of all sacred, edible, and utilitarian creatures which were of special interest to the Preclassic or Classic Maya of southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador.
The pages of this web site will devote our efforts to include the following Maya ethnozoological themes. The complete list is in a separate PDF.
- Insects and arachnids
- Snakes, iguanas, and lizards
- Crocodiles and caimans (alligators; Guatemala has both)
- Shellfish: freshwater and marine
- Fish: freshwater (especially catfish) and marine (especially sharks)
- Amphibians (frogs and toads) and amphibious creatures (turtles)
- Quadrupeds
- Birds
- Water birds
- Mythical birds
We are bravely launching this Maya ethnozoology web site with a photographic coverage of an initial 5 species. There are another 200 species we need to cover to be complete, but due to costs of field trips to remote jungle locations, we can realistically aspire to accomplish about 10 species per year. If we had adequate funding we could track down, and photography, and publish all 200 species in less than three years.
Another reason for going slowly is because we have thousands of photographs to process (from the last several years of intensive photography), and also we are occupied simultaneously opening a separate FLAAR web site on Mayan ethnobotany. Our goal is to do additional photography of additional species now that we have better digital camera equipment.
So the five species that we are starting this web site with, I hope these images reveal the potential of what can result if funding becomes available to photograph and discuss the remaining circa 200 species.