The Ancient Maya And The White-tailed Deer

Mayan deer whistle (courtesy of Museo de Arte Precolombino y Vidrio Moderno, Casa Santo Domingo)

Deer are among the 10 most commonly depicted animals on Mayan vases, plates and bowls of the Late Classic period. Although two species of deer inhabit the Mayan heartland, the white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus, is the one usually depicted in Mayan art. For the Classic Maya, the deer was in some ways as important as the jaguar, monkey and snakes. […]

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