Abstract

GUEVARA CHUMACERO, Miguel; PICHARDO FRAGOSO, Alejandra  and  MARTINEZ CORNELIO, Monserrat. The Turtle in Tabasco: Food, Identity and Representation. Estud. cult. maya [online]. 2017, vol.49, pp.97-122. ISSN 0185-2574.  https://doi.org/10.19130/iifl.ecm.2017.49.758.

Historically, the turtle has been an important element of the Tabasco cuisine. The recent discovery of evidence regarding the consumption of turtle in a Prehispanic context of the Terminal Classic period in the Tabasco region has enabled us to identify the taxonomy of the turtles consumed, and has allowed us to study the iconographic references and historical resources of turtle representation among the Maya people. The investigation has confirmed the hypothesis of the traditional consumption of turtles in the region, a trait that could directly be linked to the identity of a social group, in a defined cultural context that persists today, even considering the actual ecological crisis in which turtles have become endangered.

Keywords : turtle; identity; food; representation; Tabasco.