by Mildred Boyd

     The Spanish were amazed to find that Moctezuma’s palace amenities included a fairly comprehensive zoo. It should not have been surprising. Animals played several important roles in the lives of early Mesoamericans; as food, objects of fear and worship, even as pets. Game animals were lured and conciliated by the sympathetic hunting magic of such rituals as the Yaqui Deer Dance. Predators were propitiated and kept at bay by similar rites. Many gods took on animal aspects. Ce Atl Topiltzin, as Feathered Serpent, Dog God and Monkey God, was a small menagerie in himself.
     There was often a personal association as well. Since many calendrical day names were animals and every person bore the name of his birthday, most people had animal names like 8-Deer, 13-Rabbit etc.. Furthermore, everyone was believed to be born with an invisible and mysterious ‘other,’ an alter-ego which frequently took animal form.
     There is little wonder, then, that animals were a favorite subject of artists. We find them everywhere, painted on walls and dishes, carved in stone, wood or bone, cast in precious metals, woven in textiles and molded in clay. They took the form of monumental statues, ritual vessels, incense burners, masks and even wheeled pull-toys. Tiny figurines found in graves at Tlatilco and dating from 800-500 BC show women cuddling pets.

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