DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1312646.

Abstract. Mesoamerica was the only civilization in the ancient world that lacked major domesticated sources of animal protein, such as cattle, pigs, and sheep. Therefore, the abundant wild aquatic species (fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects, and plants, among others) had a strategic role in the diet and economy of most Mesoamerican cultures, including the Tarascans. This study of subsistence activities (fishing, hunting, gathering, and manufacture) around the Cuitzeo and Pátzcuaro lakes (Michoacán, Mexico) underscores the value of ethnography, archaeology, and ethnohistory as tools for understanding the traditional aquatic lifeway of the Tarascans; who lived in an environment dominated by lakes, rivers, marshes and other wetlands.

Keywords: Aquatic lifeway, Tarascans, Michoacan, Mesoamerica.

Reference:

Williams, E. 2015. El modo de vida lacustre: etnografía de las cuencas lacustres de Michoacán. Arqueología Iberoamericana 28: 29-39. https://www.laiesken.net/arqueologia/archivo/2015/28/5.
PURL: http://purl.org/aia/285.

Publication date: 20 October 2015.