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Stingray Spine Use and Maya Bloodletting Rituals: A Cautionary Tale

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Helen R. Haines ,
Philip W. Willink  and
David Maxwell
Helen R. Haines
Affiliation:
Trent University Archaeological Research Centre, 1600 West Bank Drive, Peterborough, Ontario, K9J 7B8, Canada (hrhaines@ca.inter.net)
Philip W. Willink
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, The Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL, 60605-2496, USA
David Maxwell
Affiliation:
Statistical Research, Inc., 5331 Meadedale Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5B 2E6, Canada
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Abstract

Stingray spine use in Maya human bloodletting rituals has long been an accepted phenomenon. Recent work has suggested that intact spines may have been used and that the symptoms resulting from envenomation were an important part of the bloodletting ritual. Zoological and medical research, however, indicate that stingray toxins pose a more serious threat to human health than mere pain and inflammation. Medical studies conducted to track injuries resulting from stingray attacks report that some two-thirds of all cases result in tissue necrosis. Reconciling the use of stingray spines by the Maya with the physiological effects they present is crucial if we are to understand how the Maya viewed toxic marine materials and why they incorporated them in their ritual behaviors. Correlations between political events and stingray spine use may hold the key for understanding how these objects were articulated into the larger social and political sphere. We provide a discussion of the effects of stingray envenomation and the health risks inherent to the ritual use of stingray spines as bloodletters among the ancient Maya. Finally, we offer some possible explanations for the role of cleaned and defleshed spines in ritual contexts.

Resumen

Resumen

El uso de las espinas de manta raya en rituales de sangría maya es un fenómeno largamente aceptado. Trabajos recientes sugieren el uso de espinas frescas y que los síntomas que resultan del envenenamiento eran una parte importante del ritual. Sin embargo, la investigación zoológica y médica indica que sus toxinas son una amenaza más seria para la salud humana que el mero dolor y la inflamación. Análisis médicos que rastrean los efectos resultantes de ataques de manta rayas indican que dos tercios de los casos resultan en necrosis de los tejidos. Conciliar el estudio del uso de las espinas de manta raya con los efectos fisiológicos que ocasionan es vital si queremos entender como los Mayas percibían las sustancias tóxicas marinas y las razónes por la que los incorporó a sus rituales. La correlación entre eventos políticos y el uso de estas espinas pueden ser la llave para comprender cómo estos objetos se articulaban en las esferas sociales y políticas más amplias. Discutimos los efectos y riesgos en la salud por el envenenamiento relacionado con el uso de estas espinas para realizar sangrías en los rituales mayas. Finalmente, presentamos posibles explicaciones del rol de espinas descarnadas y limpias en contextos rituales.

Type
Reports
Information
Latin American Antiquity , Volume 19 , Issue 1 , March 2008 , pp. 83 - 98
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 2008

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