Resumo

VAZQUEZ-ALONSO, Mariana T. et al. Ethnobotany of the Teotihuacan culture. Bot. sci [online]. 2014, vol.92, n.4, pp.563-574. ISSN 2007-4476.

The purpose of the research reported here was to develop a list of plants utilized by the ancient inhabitants of prehispanic Teotihuacan through the botanical and ethnobotanical interpretation of archaeobotanical and iconographic records. The resulting register of useful plants is comprised of 77 taxa, based on published studies and archaeological reports. A Cultural Significance Index was proposed in order to combine the information from different sources and evaluate their relative importance. Identified archaeobotanical remains and their interpretation based on archaeological excavations provide direct evidence for the use of plants. Representations in ceramics and mural paintings, along with evidence associated with cultivation or importation of some species, provide indirect evidence. Maize (Zea mays L.) is characterized as the most significant cultural species. The uses attributed to taxa reported from the archaeological record and related species were then consulted in the Florentine Codex, as well as contemporary ethnobotanical studies, both of which offer many additional references to the ways in which these plants were employed. Medicinal uses appear to be the least important at Teotihuacan (eight taxa); however, according to more recent sources, 57% of the species could have had medicinal applications. A total of 125 potentially useful plants were identified from Teotihuacan, based on the ethnobotanical interpretation, and includes 17 species definitely grown in Teotihuacan and 108 additional exploited taxa associated with different types of vegetation. Twenty-eight plants were domesticated in Mexico. This study contributes to an understanding of the relationship between the inhabitants of Teotihuacan to their local and regional flora.

Palavras-chave : archaeobotany; archaeological site; cultural significance; Teotihuacan.

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