We often take for granted how unnatural our present-day landscape actually is. The Neotropics are no exception, having been occupied by untold numbers of humans for thousands of years. These societies permanently altered plant and animal populations through hunting and harvesting, by domesticating new species, moving and introducing species into new areas, and by occasionally harming or exterminating certain taxa, especially in recent years. To understand the tropical landscape today and what is “natural,” we need to examine and be able to recognize where and how humans have influenced the environment in the past.

Animals and their resources were used for much more than just food in ancient societies, just as they are today. Hunting, fishing, raising and exchanging animals has happened for centuries, profoundly changing both the course of human societies as well as the spread and evolution of animal species on the landscape. As human populations grew over time, people made increasing efforts to control and selectively distribute certain animals and their products, which helped develop and maintain complex political and economic state systems.

Ancient peoples in the Americas were often on the move, and so were their animals. Dogs, turkeys, macaws, fish, and shellfish are only a few of the animals we know that were moving frequently throughout Central America as part of an extensive trade network. Moving and raising animals necessitated specialized experience and knowledge of how to acquire, maintain, and breed particular species. Using zooarchaeological analysis in combination with stable isotope geochemistry, we can study how animals were hunted or bred (often resulting in dramatic changes to their skeletal development), were raised in captivity and fed a human-mandated diet, and were exchanged long distances from one area to another.