The origin and dispersal of the domestic turkey in Mesoamerica. A conjunction of environmental and cultural factors

Abstract

Domestic animals are the result of the adaptation of wild species to the human environment, by way of natural selection, a process which began in pre-civilization times in various regions of the world. In the case of Mexico, the first animal to enter the process was the Wild turkey, or turkey (Meleagris gallopavo). Its history of interaction with man and its dispersal consists of two phases. The first includes biological processes that involved the flocks of these birds interacting with human seasonal macrobands in the southern Mexican highlands, adapting to the interaction with Homo sapiens until their absolute inclusion into human communities, a process that was already concluded around 3,000 years ago in central Mexico, as recognized archaeozoological remains provide evidence of the existence of domesticated specimens at that time. The second phase is represented by way of the dispersion of the species throughout the various regions of Mesoamerica and perhaps Oasisamerica (southeast USA and northern Mexico), which took around two thousand years, varying the pace at which it occured depending on the dominant environment in each region, along with the body of traditional knowledge that accompanied the said specimens; due to the aforementioned conditions, in the south of Mesoamerica the arrival of the domestic turkey was during the Formative period, thanks to the fact that the warm, semi-humid environment was biologically compatible, whilst their arrival to the regions populated by the Maya was during the Terminal Classic period, basically because the tropical humid environment was not as favorable for them, thus requiring greater human effort so as to support their stay in the region, a condition that was achieved in the early Postclassic period.