Today there is a scant research into the ritual use of animals in Bolivian archaeology. Archaeofaunal analyses of canine remains have primarily revealed the dog’s economic role, along with some, albeit unclear, indications of its ritual role. During the 2007 field season of Proyecto Arqueológico Jach’a Marka, excavators encountered the remains of an individual Canis lupus familiaris within the Mollo Kontu mound, inside Tiwanaku’s civic center, which were indicative of its having been involved in ritual practice during the 10th century AD. Archaeofaunal analysis of the skeleton has revealed the presence of blunt force trauma. Furthermore, cuts in strategic locations on the skeleton, the dog’s age group, the position of its body, and the archaeological context provide strong evidence of the dog’s ritual, symbolic, and affective roles within Tiwanaku society.
Mendoza España, V. V. (2015). Evidence of use of the dog (canis lupus familiaris) in a ritual context (Tiwanaku, Bolivia). Revista Chilena De Antropología, (30). Retrieved from https://revistachilenahumanidades.uchile.cl/index.php/RCA/article/view/36281
