Merida.- Yucatan archaeologists, In the Mexican southeast, they announced the discovery of a pre-Hispanic camp where the Mayans took advantage of species of snail to feed themselves and make the first kitchen utensils, such as spoons.
“In 2022, the archaeological rescue of a site located three kilometers from the northern coast of Yucatán was carried out, specifically in Telchac town, where a large number of snails and fragments of the mollusk with percussion marks were found,” revealed Alicia Beatriz Quintal, researcher at the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).
With archaeologists Mario Alberto Garrido and Cristian Alonso Hernándezthe researcher said that during the inspection of the cadastral table 3,089 of Telchac town they found 20 pre-Hispanic structures scattered over 23 hectares where the Mayans cooked boiled or roasted mollusks.
In addition, they found 119 sherds or pieces of ceramics.
Quintal explained that “marine resources, in relation to other economic activities of pre-Hispanic inhabitants such as agriculture and commerce, allowed the development of peninsular Mayan society in its historical development.”
Meanwhile, Garrido said that it is difficult to reach the camp that the Mayans used only during the dry season “because it is in the middle of nowhere and is located in the area of dzekeles (slabs), savanna or floodplain.”
“There where we found the malacological material, unusual mounds of earth appeared in places on the Yucatecan coast and when we excavated them they were full of ash and charcoal, as if it were a pile of something,” he said.
There are no registered archaeological sites near the plank, he added, “which is why the discovery of the 20 structures is very important for the archeology of the region.”
➡️ Join the El Sol de México channel on WhatsApp so you don’t miss the most important information
The archaeologists also did not find natural sources of water, “although the area is full of cenotes (water wells).”
Regarding ceramics, he detailed that of the 119 sherds, 3.67 percent correspond to the Late Preclassic (400 BC to 200 AD) and 82 percent to the Early Classic (250-600 AD).
In turn, Hernández pointed out that the malacological analysis concluded that, unlike other Mayan settlements where ornaments predominated, in the camp there were a large number of complete snail shells pierced with percussion and many fragments with preforms.
“We analyzed 171 snail elements from various structures documented in the planking,” he said.
➡️ Subscribe to our Newsletter and receive the most relevant notes in your email
“The snails were found in low waters and near mangroves, where the current Mayans continue to collect for consumption and to make crafts,” he added.
At the site there were finished artifacts, traces, procedures, manufacturing techniques. The use of food in some objects was also identified.
The research of archaeologists, who participated in the VII Symposium of the Mayan culture with the presentation ‘The pre-Hispanic use of snails on the northern coast of Yucatán’ within the framework of the 50th anniversary of the INAH Yucatán Center, revealed the presence of complete specimens of adult size.